FARMINGTON, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team had six players finish with at least nine points as the Beavers took down the University of Maine at Fort Kent in the Beavers 2023-24 season opener at Dearborn Gymnasium, 88-69.
After falling behind 8-3 in the opening minutes, the Beavers quickly responded with a 13-4 run to take a four point lead with 13:20 left to play in the opening half. A three-pointer from Dylan Griffin (Saco, Maine) at the 14:44 mark gave the Beavers the lead, one that they would not relinquish for the duration of the game. The Griffin three and a pair of threes from Zachary Mickle (Billerica, Mass.) highlight the run for the Beavers.
Mickle had a great opening half for the Beavers, scoring 16 points, hitting three three-pointers and hitting all five of his free throw attempts.
Simon Chadbourne, a transfer from the University of Southern Maine who was making his Beaver debut, had an outstanding game on both ends of the court. The 6'2" guard finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season.
Griffin showed off several different facets of his game tonight with his three-point shooting, low-post footwork, and his beautiful touch passing. Griffin narrowly missed a double-double of his own, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
The Beavers were able to extend their lead to as many as 13 points in the 1st half with 6:13 to play. But a 12-4 run by the Bengals cut the Beavers' lead to just five with three minutes left before halftime. Aidan Grady went to work in the low post for UMFK during that run hitting three layups right around the rim, and converting an and one. A three from Chadbourne and free throws from Mickle and Jordan Anthony (Farmington, Maine) in the closing minutes helped the Beavers take a 46-36 into halftime.
The Beavers were slowly able to extend their lead up to 19 over the opening 8:30 of the 2nd half. The Beavers had their way in the paint as they were able to extend their lead. 12 of the Beavers first 17 points of the 2nd half came right at the rim, converting layups as the Beavers were able to break the Bengals full-court pressure.
Farmington extended their lead to as much as 21 while UMFK could get no closer than 13 as the Beavers picked up their first win of the season.
Will Harriman (Biddeford, Maine) also finished in double figures for the Beavers, chipping in with 10 points. Anthony and Brock Flagg (Brewer, Maine) pitched in with nine points a piece.
The Bengals had three players in double-figures led by Grady's game-high 21. Jordan Guerrero added 17, 14 of which came in the first half. Anthony drew the primary matchup with Guerrero in the 2nd half and did a great job of limiting him to just three points in the 2nd half. Maksim Vukcevic tallied 15 points on 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Beavers shot 50% (28-56) from the field and 33.3% (9-27) from three for the game. The Bengals shot 41.9% (26-62) from the field and 45.8% (11-24) from beyond the arc. The Beavers were able to hold a 37-29 advantage on the glass.
UP NEXT
The Beavers will be back in action at 4 PM on Saturday afternoon when they take on New England College in the Charlie Ryan Classic at Thomas College.
