CASTINE, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington grinded out a 70-63 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) road victory over Maine Maritime Academy on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore guard McLaughlin led the way offensively for the NAC-leading Beavers, pouring in 32 points to match his season high.

The Records:

Farmington picked up its fifth straight victory and completed the week 3-0, moving to 12-3 overall while remaining perfect at 9-0 in conference play. The loss dropped the Mariners to 6-10 overall and 6-3 in NAC action.

How It Happened:

Farmington jumped out quickly from the opening tip, starting the game on a 17-6 run over the first six and a half minutes of action and appearing to be in line for a wire-to-wire victory. McLaughlin scored seven of those 17 points to lead the early surge for Farmington. Junior guard Brayden St. Pierre (Readfield, Maine) also connected on a deep three during the game-opening run.

The Mariners wasted no time finding an answer. Jack Banks hit a layup, and Noah Eckhart was fouled while shooting a three, converting all three free throws to spark a 9-0 spurt that pulled Maine Maritime within two with eight minutes remaining in the opening half.

The early 11-point lead for the Beavers was their largest of the game, as the teams battled tooth and nail until the final buzzer.

Farmington clung to a narrow 31-29 lead heading into halftime, thanks in large part to McLaughlin, who scored 18 first-half points.

McLaughlin picked up in the second half right where he left off, drilling a transition three after forcing a steal on the opening possession. He then knocked down his second three of the half six minutes later, and junior forward Jason Reynolds followed with a layup as Farmington extended its lead to 45-36 with 13 minutes remaining.

Maine Maritime responded once again, answering with an extended 14-7 run led by Jack Banks to pull within just two points. Banks scored nine of the 14 points during the spurt.

The Beavers received a huge lift in the second half—particularly down the stretch—from sophomore forward Kory Donlin (Warren, Maine). Donlin scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half, including three clutch three-pointers. Following the Mariners' 14-7 run, a Donlin layup was followed by consecutive threes that proved decisive, as the Beavers opened up a 60-52 advantage with 4:25 remaining.

The Mariners pulled within four, but layups from McLaughlin and Reynolds kept Maine Maritime at bay as the Beavers secured the crucial conference road victory.

Stats of the Game:

Farmington:
Field Goal Pct: 42.6% (26-for-61)
Three-Point Pct: 31.0% (9-for-29)
Free Throw Pct: 50.0% (9-for-18)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 42 (14-28)
Turnovers: 9

Maine Maritime:
Field Goal Pct: 41.1% (23-for-56)
Three-Point Pct: 27.8% (5-for-18)
Free Throw Pct: 80.0% (12-for-15)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 32 (5-27)
Turnovers: 7

Leaders – Farmington:

• McLaughlin led all scorers with 32 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. He also went 7-for-10 from the free-throw line, grabbed seven rebounds, and recorded three blocks.
• Reynolds recorded his 13th double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and 17 rebounds while shooting 7-of-11 from the floor.
• Donlin shot 7-of-14 from the field en route to 18 points in 25 minutes off the bench.

Leaders – Maine Maritime:

• Banks led the Mariners with 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting to go along with six rebounds.
• Aaron Pensel finished with 13 points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes of action.

Up Next:

The Beavers will hit the road once again next Friday, traveling to New York for a NAC matchup against SUNY Delhi. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.