BANGOR, Maine - With time winding down and his team trailing by a point, University of Maine at Farmington sophomore forward Kory Donlin (Warren, Maine) grabbed an offensive rebound and, in one motion, tipped the missed shot up and in off the backboard to give the Beavers the lead, which proved to be the difference in an 81-80 victory over Husson University on Friday evening.

The Records:

Farmington improved to 14-5 overall and is now 11-1 in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action following the win. Husson dropped to 11-7 overall and is now 10-2 against NAC opponents following the loss.

How it Happened:

The first half of action was back-and-forth, but it was the Beavers who clung to a lead for much of the opening period. Sophomore guard Zach McLaughlin (Hampden, Maine) started to cook in the opening minutes of the first half, going on an 8-0 run by himself to put Farmington up 12-6 after five minutes of play.

The teams traded hoops, but Husson was able to grab a one-point advantage midway through the first half after a three from Christian Smith made it 19-18 with 11:18 left until halftime. The Beavers answered with a 10-3 run that was capped off by back-to-back layups from McLaughlin and Brayden St. Pierre (Readfield, Maine) to put Farmington back up by six.

Husson responded in a big way, rattling off a 21-4 run over the next six minutes of game time to open up its biggest lead of the game, 43-32. Eric Ahlers sparked the run for the Eagles, scoring 11 of the team's 21 points during the stretch.

Entering the second half trailing by ten, Farmington opened the half with three straight layups to quickly cut the deficit to just four.

The Beavers continued to chip away and tied the game at 59 apiece with just under 9:30 minutes to play on a pair of free throws from junior forward Jason Reynolds (Winslow, Maine). Farmington took the lead on the ensuing possession after Donlin forced a steal and then went the length of the floor for a layup that put the Beavers up two. Donlin's layup capped a 9-0 spurt that turned a seven-point deficit into a two-point lead.

The teams traded blows over the next six minutes of action, but Farmington clung to a 73-69 lead with just over four minutes to play. Gil Matondo hit a jumper in the lane to make it a two-point game and sparked a 9-0 burst that put Husson up five inside the final two minutes.

After Reynolds and Ahlers traded baskets, sophomore point guard Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine) quickly drove the length of the floor and drew a foul to earn a trip to the free-throw line for a pair. Michaud hit the first, missed the second, but the ball was knocked out of bounds, giving the Beavers possession. After a Farmington timeout, Charlie Houghton (Dixfield, Maine) found an open McLaughlin, who canned a three to make it 80-79 Husson with a minute remaining.

After an Ahlers miss, the Beavers got the ball back with a chance to take the lead. Once again following a timeout, the ball ended up in the hands of McLaughlin, who took a tough turnaround jump shot in the lane that came up well short. Being in the right place at the right time, Donlin corralled the rebound and tipped it up and in to clinch the victory for the Beavers.

Stats of the Game:

Farmington:
Field Goal Pct: 40.3% (31-for-77)
Three-Point Pct: 19.2% (5-for-26)
Free Throw Pct: 77.8% (14-for-18)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 53 (28-25)
Turnovers: 10

Husson:
Field Goal Pct: 44.3% (27-for-61)
Three-Point Pct: 33.3% (7-for-21)
Free Throw Pct: 86.4% (19-for-22)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 30 (10-20)
Turnovers: 7

Leaders - Farmington:

• McLaughlin was the high man for the Beavers, scoring 27 points on 9-for-23 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 shooting from the free-throw line.
• Reynolds delivered a monster 18-point, 21-rebound double-double, with 11 of his rebounds coming on the offensive end.
• Houghton also finished with a double-double, adding 10 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes.
• Donlin finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and three steals while shooting 6-of-13 from the field.

Leaders - Husson:

• Ahlers led all scorers with a game-high 31 points on an efficient 10-of-17 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. He added 12 rebounds to complete the double-double.
• Andre McCauley finished with 10 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.
• Ty Henke shot 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 10 points in 15 minutes off the bench.

UP NEXT

The Beavers return to action Saturday afternoon looking to complete the regular-season sweep of the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Game time on Saturday is set for 1:00 PM.