FARMINGTON, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team led for the first 30 minutes on Saturday afternoon but couldn't hold off the visiting University of Maine at Presque Isle, falling 73-67 in an intense North Atlantic Conference (NAC) battle.

The Records:

With the loss, Farmington closes out the first semester with a 4-6 overall record and a 2-1 mark in NAC play. The Owls improved to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play with the victory.

How It Happened:

The Beavers jumped out to an early lead, thanks to the hot shooting of senior guard Simon Chadbourne (Portland, Maine). Chadbourne opened the game with a tough fadeaway jumper to find his rhythm quickly. On the ensuing possession, he freed himself using a screen and drilled his first three-pointer of the game. After a missed three on the next possession, Chadbourne hit another three from the top of the key off an offensive rebound and assist from Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine). The second Chadbourne three-pointer opened up an 8-0 lead for Farmington, forcing an Owl timeout just two minutes into the game.

Chadbourne continued to roll, hitting a pair of free throws after a technical foul and then driving into the lane for a layup. He scored the first 12 points of the game for the Beavers. It wasn't until a fake dribble hand-off from Dylan Griffin (Saco, Maine) created a lane for a layup that someone other than Chadbourne recorded a bucket.

The Owls found their rhythm midway through the first half. After Griffin's layup made it 20-10, UMPI rattled off seven straight points to pull within three. Akhe McMichael scored five of the Owls' seven points during that stretch.

Holding a 24-21 lead with 5:44 remaining in the opening half, three-pointers from Griffin and Chadbourne highlighted a 7-0 spurt for Farmington, pushing their lead back to ten.

Farmington took a 36-29 lead into halftime, having limited UMPI to just 40.7% shooting (11-for-27) and allowing only one offensive rebound.

The teams traded baskets to start the second half. A three-point play from Griffin at the 16:02 mark gave Farmington an 11-point lead, their largest of the game.

However, the 11-point lead quickly evaporated as UMPI went on a 10-0 run, with four different Owls contributing, to cut the Beavers' lead to just one with 12:25 remaining.

The Owls took their first lead of the game on a jumper from Doug McCalla inside the final ten minutes. Farmington responded with a bucket from Brock Flagg (Brewer, Maine) and a clutch three from Zach McLaughlin (Hampden, Maine) to regain a four-point advantage.

With Farmington leading 65-58 and 6:12 left in the game, the Beavers went cold, missing eight of their final nine shot attempts and turning the ball over five times. This allowed UMPI to go on an 11-0 run with 3:51 left, taking a four-point lead. The Owls missed some key free throws down the stretch, but Farmington was unable to capitalize, dropping the game as time expired.

Stats of the Game:

After shooting 40.7% from the floor in the first half, UMPI shot a scorching 56.3% (18-for-32) in the second half to secure the win. Farmington shot 39.4% (26-for-66) from the field for the game and 37.5% (12-for-32) from beyond the arc in the second half. The rebound battle was close, with the Beavers holding a slight 38-37 advantage.

Leaders - Farmington:

• Griffin scored a team-high 17 points on an ultra-efficient 7-for-10 shooting from the field. He also added eight rebounds and six assists.
• Chadbourne finished with 16 points, three assists, two boards, and two steals.
• Will Harriman (Biddeford, Maine), Michaud, and McLaughlin all finished with seven points.

Leaders - Presque Isle:

• McMichael finished with a game-high 19 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the floor. 
• McCalla recorded a double-double, finishing with 16 points and ten rebounds.
• Myles Jones pitched in with 14 points and six assists. Jones shot 6-for-10 from the field.

UP NEXT

The Beavers will be off until January 1st when they travel to Springfield for the Naismith Classic. Farmington will face Amherst College on January 1st, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 PM.