BOSTON, Mass. – The Suffolk University men's basketball team narrowly defeated the University of Maine at Farmington in a non-conference matchup, 78-75, at Larry E. and Michael S. Court on Saturday afternoon. The game marked the season opener for both teams.
How It Happened:
Farmington came out strong, with senior sharpshooter Simon Chadbourne (Portland, Maine) hitting a three-pointer from the top of the key on the first possession of the game. Fellow senior Dylan Griffin (Saco, Maine) followed with a pair of free throws to give the Beavers an early 5-0 lead.
After the Beavers' quick start, Suffolk responded with a three-pointer from Nick Verdile to get on the board. From that point, the Beavers never led by more than five points for the remainder of the game. The two teams exchanged leads for much of the first 13 minutes, but the Rams finished the half strong, holding a 42-36 lead at the break.
Sophomore Jason Reynolds (Winslow, Maine) was outstanding in the first half for Farmington, posting 10 points and 8 rebounds.
In the second half, the Beavers cut the deficit to three points early on, but a quick 10-0 run by the Rams pushed their lead to 13. Verdile and Cole Levangie each hit key three-pointers during the surge.
Farmington responded with a 7-1 run to narrow the gap to seven points, but the Rams answered again. A pair of three-pointers from Verdile sparked a 10-2 spurt, pushing Suffolk's lead to 68-53 with 6:18 left to play.
However, the Beavers didn't back down. They dug deep on both ends of the floor, rattling off an 18-5 run over the next five minutes and 15 seconds, pulling within two points with just over a minute remaining.
After a block by Jahkai Veal (Farmington, Conn.) that went out of bounds, Suffolk called a timeout to set up an in-bounds play. The play worked perfectly, as Keenan Robertson converted an easy layup to give the Rams a four-point lead with 47 seconds left.
After a Beavers turnover, Farmington was forced to foul to extend the game. Verdile missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw situation, setting up a quick jumper by Jordan Anthony (Farmington, Conn.) to pull the Beavers back within two.
The Beavers were again forced to foul, sending the Rams to the line. This time, Danny Yardemian hit two crucial free throws to seal the game, making it a four-point lead and securing the 78-75 victory for Suffolk.
Stats of the Game:
One of the keys to victory for the Rams came on the boards. Suffolk out-rebounded Farmington, 46-36, including a dominant 22-8 edge on the offensive glass. Farmington shot 50.9% (29-57) from the floor and 31.8% (7-22) from beyond the arc. Suffolk shot 40.0% (28-70) from the field and 31.0% (9-29) from three-point range.
Leaders - Farmington:
- Reynolds finished with a double-double, scoring a team-high 16 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and pulling down 11 rebounds.
- Brock Flagg (Brewer, Maine) came off the bench to score 11 points on an efficient 4-5 shooting.
- Zach McLaughlin (Hampden, Maine) added 11 points in his collegiate debut.
- Anthony contributed 10 points on 5-7 shooting.
Leaders - Suffolk:
- Robertson led all scorers with 22 points on 7-16 shooting from the field and 7-10 from the free-throw line, along with eight rebounds.
- Verdile shot 6-12 from three-point range, finishing with 19 points.
- Yardemian tallied 16 points, eight assists, and four rebounds for the Rams.
Up Next:
The Beavers return to action next Saturday at 10:00 AM for their home opener against the University of Maine at Augusta.
