FARMINGTON, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington women's basketball team struggled offensively, falling 70-56 on Senior Night to the visiting University of Maine at Augusta.

Before the game, the Farmington women's basketball program had the honor of recognizing two seniors who will be graduating this May. Emily Small (Cumberland, Maine) has been a four-year member of the program, while Chloe Allen joined this season in a managerial role. Both Small and Allen will receive Bachelor's Degrees in Education this spring.

The Records:

The Beavers dropped to 11-12 with the loss. The Moose avenged an earlier season defeat to the Beavers, improving to 24-2 with the win.

How it Happened:

From the opening tip, neither team could find any real offensive rhythm. The two teams combined for ten turnovers in the first quarter.

In search of some offensive flow, the Beavers turned to the bench for a spark. Ruby McMinis (Wells, Maine) and Audrey Mackie (South Thomaston, Maine) delivered. Both players scored five points in the opening quarter, combining to shoot a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor. Alisyn Alley led the Moose in the first quarter, scoring six points and dishing out two assists, as UMA led 17-16 after the first 10 minutes.

The game remained close through the second quarter. After a Jaydn Pingree (Jay, Maine) layup gave the Beavers a 23-22 lead with seven minutes left, three-pointers from Sage Fortin and Bella Petrocci sparked an 8-1 run for Augusta, giving them a six-point lead— their largest of the half.

That lead didn't last long. Jessica Dow (Saco, Maine) drilled a three-pointer to start a 6-0 spurt, tying the game at 30 with a minute left in the half. Alley hit a layup in the closing seconds to give the Moose a two-point lead heading into halftime.

The second half became more disjointed. Both teams committed a total of 25 fouls, and the pace of play remained inconsistent. For the first five minutes of the third quarter, the game stayed within one possession, as the teams traded leads. Grace Dwyer (Manchester, Maine) made a tough, contested layup to bring the score to 40-39 in favor of UMA with six minutes left. Over the next 3:47, the Moose went on an 11-2 run, taking their first double-digit lead of the game. The run was capped by a Petrocci three-pointer, her fourth of the game.

The Beavers cut into the lead, making it a seven-point game entering the fourth quarter. Sarah Poli (Benton, Maine) scored six points in the third quarter to help keep the game close.

Farmington's offensive struggles continued in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Beavers turned the ball over seven times and shot just 1-for-9 from the field, allowing the Moose to pull away. UMA shot just 4-for-15 from the field in the quarter, but the Beavers could not capitalize. A pair of free throws from Pingree at the six-minute mark made it a five-point game, but that was as close as Farmington would get.

Stats of the Game:

In a game where neither team found its rhythm, the Moose shot 41.5% (22-for-53) from the floor and 31.6% (6-of-19) from beyond the arc. UMA also shot 80.0% (20-for-25) from the free-throw line. Farmington shot just 30.0% (18-for-60) from the floor and 21.1% (4-of-19) from three. The Beavers went 16-for-22 from the free-throw line. The turnover margin favored UMA, 21-19. Farmington led the rebounding battle, outrebounding the Moose 41-36.

Leaders - Farmington:

• Pingree led the Beavers with 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting, adding five rebounds and two assists.
• Dow finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and two steals, shooting 2-for-4 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
• Mackie contributed 10 points and four rebounds, knocking down 2-of-4 from three.
• Poli added nine points and seven rebounds.

Leaders - Augusta:

• Alley led all scorers with 18 points on 5-for-17 shooting, also contributing four rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
• Petrocci came off the bench to score 15 points in just 21 minutes, going 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.
• Fortin also finished with 15 points, doing most of her damage at the free-throw line, finishing 8-for-10 from the stripe.

UP NEXT:

The Beavers will wrap up their regular season play on Saturday afternoon against Husson University. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM.