FARMINGTON, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team withstood 12 second-half three-pointers from the University of Maine at Fort Kent on Friday evening in Dearborn Gymnasium, pulling out an 83-81 victory to win their third straight game.

The Records:

After starting the season 1-5, Farmington has found their groove, improving to 4-5 overall with Friday's win. The loss drops the Bengals to 5-8 on the season.

How It Happened:

Friday evening's matchup between the two UMaine System schools was highly competitive, with the game featuring ten lead changes. The largest lead of the game was 12 points, which belonged to the Beavers with just over a minute and a half remaining.

Senior forward Will Harriman (Biddeford, Maine) was a force in the first half, scoring nine of his 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds as Farmington took a 41-37 lead into halftime. Aiden Grady led the Bengals in the first half with 11 points and four rebounds.

Senior guard Simon Chadbourne (Portland, Maine) drilled a wide-open three from the left wing just a minute into the second half, giving the Beavers a seven-point lead, their largest of the game at that point.

Fort Kent responded, going on a 12-4 run over the next two minutes and 40 seconds to take a one-point lead. Aiden Grady, Jordan Guerrero, Maksim Vukcevic, and AJ Creech each hit a three-pointer during the run.

Farmington answered with a 9-2 spurt of their own, regaining a six-point lead at 57-51 with 12:40 left in the game.

However, the Bengals' hot shooting continued. Guerrero hit another three, and Vukcevic followed with two more from deep on consecutive possessions, giving Fort Kent a three-point lead and forcing a Beavers' timeout.

Out of the timeout, Farmington responded with a 12-2 run, turning a three-point deficit into a seven-point lead. Jordan Anthony (Farmington, Maine) hit a three-pointer and drained a jumper in the lane, while Dylan Griffin (Saco, Maine) converted an and-one opportunity to highlight the Beavers' surge.

After Fort Kent cut the lead to four, Farmington reeled off eight straight points, extending their lead to 81-69 with 1:33 left and seemingly on their way to closing out the win.

But the Bengals weren't finished. They hit three straight three-pointers to make it a three-point game with just four seconds left. Chadbourne was fouled and calmly hit both of his free throws to seal the victory, making it a five-point game. Nick Gravely managed to hit a half-court shot at the buzzer, making it an 83-81 final.

Stats of the Game:

Farmington shot an efficient 51.6% (33-for-64) from the floor, including 44.4% (8-for-18) from three-point range. The Beavers dominated the paint, holding a 46-24 advantage in points in the paint, and also had a 44-34 edge on the boards. Fort Kent shot 41.3% (31-for-75) from the field and 39.5% (17-for-43) from beyond the arc, including a blistering 12-of-24 from three-point range in the second half.

Leaders - Farmington:

• Chadbourne led five Beavers in double figures, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds.
• Harriman finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season.
• Anthony chipped in with 12 points and four rebounds, shooting 5-for-10 from the field. 
• Griffin and Reynolds each finished with 11 points.

• Grady finished with a game-high 18 points and also grabbed six rebounds.
• Vukcevic drilled 4-of-10 from deep and finished with 14 points.
• Guerrero also hit four threes, going 4-for-9, finishing with 12 points and also pitched in with eight boards.
• Tarik Islamovic added 11 points and four rebounds.

UP NEXT:

The Beavers return to North Atlantic Conference action tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 PM when they host the University of Maine at Presque Isle.