FARMINGTON, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team continued its winning ways on Sunday afternoon, topping Lesley University 86-72 in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action at Dearborn Gymnasium. The win marked the Beavers' sixth in a row and their ninth in the last 11 games.

The Records:

The scorching-hot Beavers moved to 10-7 following the win, improving to 7-1 in NAC play. The Lynx dropped to 2-16 overall with an 0-8 record in conference play.

How it Happened:

The opening five minutes of play belonged entirely to first-year point guard Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine). Michaud was making plays on both ends of the court. He found Dylan Griffin (Saco, Maine) for easy layups on consecutive possessions to open the game. Michaud then drove all the way to the rim for a layup of his own, giving Farmington a quick 6-3 lead. Two possessions later, Michaud found a wide-open Brock Flagg (Brewer, Maine) in the left corner, and Flagg splashed a three, extending Farmington's lead to eight just two and a half minutes into the game.

Despite the early deficit, the Lynx would not go away. Zach McLaughlin (Hampden, Maine) drilled a three to give Farmington a 19-10 lead at the 10:44 mark of the opening half. Over the next four minutes, however, Farmington was held to just three points as the Lynx went on a 9-3 run, cutting their deficit to just three. Malachi Howard hit a pair of tough shots, and Nathanial Maldonado drained a deep three to highlight the run for the Lynx.

Clinging to a 22-19 lead, Farmington responded with an 8-2 scoring burst, capped off by a corner triple from Jahkai Veal (Farmington, Conn.), extending the lead back to eight.

After Brayden St. Pierre (Manchester, Maine) drained a three from the top of the key with 2:14 left in the first half, Lesley closed the half on a 6-0 run, making it a 36-34 game heading into halftime.

Lesley scored the first three points of the second half, taking their first lead of the game. However, the lead didn't last long, as Will Harriman (Biddeford, Maine) matched Howard's layup with a layup of his own on the ensuing Beaver possession.

With the game tied at 42 early in the second half, McLaughlin sparked an 8-0 Beavers run, scoring six of his 12 second-half points to give Farmington an eight-point lead once again.

Farmington started to get good looks offensively as sharpshooter Simon Chadbourne (Portland, Maine) began to spring free, knocking down a pair of threes as Farmington extended their lead to a game-high 15 with just under nine minutes left in the game.

The Lynx did not go quietly, fighting hard until the final horn. Austin Hamilton hit a pair of big threes in the second half, while Howard used his strength to bully his way to the rim for some tough buckets. Lesley continued to hang around, cutting the lead back down to single digits on a couple of occasions.

With Lesley fouling in an attempt to extend the game, the Beavers connected from the free-throw line to close out the victory.

Stats of the Game:

The Beavers shot 47.5% (29-for-61) from the field but just 32.0% (8-for-25) from beyond the arc in the victory. Farmington shot 76.9% (20-of-26) from the free-throw line, attempting 16 more free throws than the Lynx, who went 7-for-10 from the charity stripe. The Beavers held Lesley to just 38.2% (29-for-76) shooting from the field and 26.9% (7-for-26) from deep. Farmington also held a 45-39 advantage on the glass.

Leaders - Farmington:

• McLaughlin scored a game-high 17 points, knocking down 6-of-11 from the floor. He also finished with five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
• Griffin posted a monster 16-point, 16-rebound double-double. He also finished with four assists while shooting 7-for-16 from the floor.
• Flagg finished with 15 points and was a marksman from the free-throw line, hitting 10-of-12 from the stripe.
• Michaud finished with a career-high 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor, along with seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals.
• Chadbourne pitched in with 13 points, drilling three triples.

• Howard finished with a team-high 14 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals.
• CJ Leonard recorded a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds.
• Hezekiah Brown shot 6-for-9 from the floor, finishing with 13 points, three rebounds, and two steals off the bench.

The Beavers head to Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday evening for a matchup with Bates College. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 PM.