DELHI, New York – After falling behind by as many as 15 points in the first half, the University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team fought all the way back to take the lead in the second half but ultimately fell in overtime, 92-91, on the road against SUNY Delhi on Friday evening.

The Records:

The loss drops the Beavers to 9-1 in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action and 12-4 overall. Delhi moved to 5-11 overall with a 4-6 record in conference play with the victory.

How it Happened:

The Broncos came roaring out of the gates as the Beavers couldn't get anything to drop. Abdul-Jaleel Ibrahim hit a pair of threes in the opening three-and-a-half minutes of the game, sparking a quick 10-0 run to start the contest. A layup from Brayden St. Pierre (Readfield, Maine) got the Beavers on the scoreboard for the first time with 16:07 left to play in the opening half.

Ibrahim's hot start continued as he connected on his third triple and then found a cutting Adan Madera on the subsequent possession. Kai Harvey hit a mid-range jumper on the ensuing possession, and all of a sudden Delhi was up 17-2 after five-and-a-half minutes of action.

The Beavers connected on just one of their first 11 shots from the floor as the Broncos opened up an early 15-point advantage. Farmington started to settle in from that point forward on the offensive end, but they were unable to get stops on the defensive end to really cut into the deficit. With just over eight minutes left in the first half, Farmington still trailed by 15, 33-18.

After trimming the deficit to 11 with three minutes left until halftime, the Beavers closed the half on a 7-0 run to make it a four-point game heading into the intermission. Farmington got layups from Charlie Houghton (Dixfield, Maine), Kory Donlin (Warren, Maine), and Jason Reynolds (Winslow, Maine) to spark the run.

The second half was ultra-competitive, as the game stayed within two possessions for the entirety of the period. After facing a 15-point deficit, the Beavers fought all the way back to take their first lead of the game following a Donlin three with 13:46 left. Donlin played a huge role offensively in the first half, pacing the Beavers with 15 points while hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

The two teams traded hoops throughout the second half. Farmington was led in the period by Reynolds and Donlin, who combined to score 24 of the team's 42 points. Madera scored 13 points to lead the way in the second half for the Broncos, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor.

With 1:37 left on the clock, Donlin sank a pair of free throws to put the Beavers up one. After forcing a miss on the subsequent Delhi possession, Farmington missed two shots at the rim but grabbed offensive rebounds on both to keep the possession alive. Later in the possession, McLaughlin was fouled and drilled both free throws to make it 78-75 Farmington with 32 seconds left.

Delhi found the tying bucket as Harvey came off a ball screen and, moving to his left, sank a three from the top of the key to tie the game at 78. Farmington missed a shot in the final seconds, sending the game to overtime.

The overtime period was no different, as the game continued to go back and forth. Each team had a player foul out during the extra period, as Farmington sophomore point guard Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine) and Madera both picked up their fifth fouls.

With Farmington down three inside the final two minutes, Reynolds converted an and-one opportunity to tie the game at 87. Noah Collin then hit a layup while getting fouled on the following Delhi possession but missed the free throw, keeping Farmington's deficit at two.

The teams traded baskets on the next two possessions as Farmington continued to trail by two while the clock ticked down in the final minute. McLaughlin scored a tough turnaround jumper at the free-throw line with 35 seconds left to knot the game at 91.

On the ensuing Delhi possession, Harvey was fouled while shooting a jumper, sending him to the free-throw line for two with 12 seconds left. Harvey connected on one of two, setting up a chance for Farmington to take the final shot and win the game.

After two timeouts, the Beavers got a pair of good looks, as Reynolds missed a layup and McLaughlin's tip attempt just rolled off as the buzzer sounded.

McLaughlin scored nine points in overtime as he tried to help lead the Beavers to victory.

Stats of the Game:

Farmington:

Field Goal Pct: 40.8% (31-for-76)
Three-Point Pct: 40.7% (11-for-27)
Free Throw Pct: 78.3% (18-for-23)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 41 (18-23)
Turnovers: 9

SUNY Delhi:
Field Goal Pct: 52.2% (36-for-69)
Three-Point Pct: 42.9% (9-for-21)
Free Throw Pct: 73.3% (11-for-15)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 41 (12-29)
Turnovers: 12

Leaders – Farmington:

• The Beavers were led by McLaughlin, who finished with a game-high 31 points, shooting 10-for-23 from the floor and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. He also added five rebounds.
• Reynolds finished with a monster 21-point, 19-rebound double-double, shooting 7-of-17 from the field and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
• Donlin came off the bench and finished with 15 points.
• Michaud added 13 points, six rebounds, and three assists before fouling out in overtime.

Leaders – Delhi:

• Madera finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds while shooting an efficient 11-of-13 from the field to lead the Broncos.
• Ibrahim added 23 points, hitting 7-of-9 from beyond the arc while also pitching in three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
• Harvey finished with 17 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals.

UP NEXT

The Beavers will look to get back in the win column on Saturday afternoon when they square off with SUNY Cobleskill. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM.