CASTLETON, Vt. – University of Maine at Farmington sophomore guard Zach McLaughlin (Hampden, Maine) seemingly could not miss on Friday evening, pouring in a career-high 32 points on an efficient 12-for-18 shooting to pace the Beavers to an 83-61 victory over VTSU Castleton on day one of the Spartan Classic.

The Records:

The victory marks the Beavers' first of the season, moving them to 1-1 after dropping their season opener at home versus Suffolk. Castleton fell to 0-3 on the season following the loss.

How it Happened:

McLaughlin and the Beavers came out firing from beyond the arc to open up an early lead. McLaughlin, Charlie Houghton (Dixfield, Maine), and Jason Reynolds (Winslow, Maine) each connected from downtown in the opening three minutes, sparking a 13-6 run.

Castleton quickly responded with an 11-2 run of their own, turning a seven-point deficit into a two-point lead. The run was capped by a jumper from Jake Oglesby after he hustled down an offensive rebound to extend the possession.

Farmington's deficit didn't last long. First-year guard Bryce Guitard (Berwick, Maine), making his collegiate debut, splashed a three to help the Beavers reclaim the lead. Following Guitard's triple, McLaughlin scored eight straight points to cap an 11-2 Farmington response, giving the Beavers a 26-19 advantage with six minutes left in the half.

Houghton added six points in the final four minutes as Farmington took a 35-27 lead into halftime.
Castleton stayed within striking distance for the opening 12 minutes of the second half, thanks to the interior play of Will Radcliff. Radcliff tallied 11 points and seven rebounds in the first half and added 10 more points early in the second as the Spartans kept the deficit at eight with eight minutes remaining.

Back-to-back layups from Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine) pushed the Farmington lead to 63-51 with 6:30 to play and sparked a 12-4 run, capped by a corner three from first-year Tristan Robbins (Caribou, Maine).

Conner McKearin hit a three with just under four minutes left as Castleton tried to make a late push, but it was quickly erased by two layups from Michaud and a pair of deep threes from McLaughlin, extending the lead to 22—Farmington's largest of the night—and sealing the victory.

Stats of the Game:

Farmington
Field Goal Pct: 52.6% (30-for-57)
Three-Point Pct: 51.9% (14-for-27)
Free Throw Pct: 56.3% (9-for-16)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 34 (9-25)
Turnovers: 11

Castleton
Field Goal Pct: 36.2% (21-for-58)
Three-Point Pct: 21.4% (6-for-28)
Free Throw Pct: 65.0% (12-for-20)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 37 (14-23)
Turnovers: 11

Leaders – Farmington:

• McLaughlin was ultra-efficient, shooting 12-for-18 from the floor and 5-for-9 from beyond the arc en route to 32 points. He also added four rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
• Houghton finished with 16 points, knocking down 4-of-7 from three and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.
  Michaud finished with 10 points on an efficient 5-for-6 shooting to go with four rebounds and two steals.

Leaders – Castleton:

• Radcliff scored a team-high 22 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the field while adding eight rebounds (four offensive), two steals, and two blocks.
• Elijah Maldonado hit a pair of threes and finished with nine points and two steals.

UP NEXT

The Beavers return to action on Saturday afternoon, taking on Norwich University as they look to complete the weekend sweep at the Spartan Classic. Tip-off on Saturday is set for 12:00 PM.