FARMINGTON, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team rode the scoring output of a dynamic duo, junior forward Jason Reynolds (Winslow, Maine) and sophomore guard Zach McLaughlin (Hampden, Maine), to run away from Lesley University on Friday evening, 97-70, in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action.

The Records:

The Beavers picked up their third straight win and improved to 16-5 overall, 7-3 at home, and 13-1 in NAC action. Lesley dropped to 3-16 overall and 3-10 in conference play with the loss.

How it Happened:

The first half of play belonged entirely to Reynolds, who opened the game on an absolutely ridiculous scoring run. The junior scored 20 of Farmington's first 26 points over the opening nine-and-a-half minutes of action, helping the Beavers build a 26-16 advantage.

Reynolds was hitting shots from all over the court—drilling catch-and-shoot threes from the wing and the top of the key, finishing putback layups, and knocking down stepback jumpers in the lane. He was completely having his way, while also pulling down ten rebounds in the first half to record his 19th double-double of the season.

Despite falling behind by ten midway through the opening half, the Lynx hung around as CJ Leonard, Sammy Nzeyimana, Ethan Arnold, and Jarod Johnson combined to score 31 of the team's 34 first-half points.

Farmington took a 44-34 lead into the second half, where Reynolds handed the keys over to McLaughlin, who took over offensively for the Beavers. McLaughlin was flawless in the second half, shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, hitting his lone three-point attempt, and going 4-of-4 from the free throw line on his way to tallying 19 points in just 11 minutes of action.

The Beavers outscored the Lynx 34-15 during the opening 10 minutes and 45 seconds of the second half to put the game away and cruised to the conference victory at home.

Stats of the Game:

Farmington:
Field Goal Pct: 50.0% (37-for-74)
Three-Point Pct: 36.1% (13-for-36)
Free Throw Pct: 66.7% (10-for-15)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 51 (14-37)
Turnovers: 12

Lesley:
Field Goal Pct: 35.4% (28-for-79)
Three-Point Pct: 19.4% (6-for-31)
Free Throw Pct: 72.7% (8-for-11)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 40 (25-25)
Turnovers: 12

Leaders – Farmington:

• Reynolds finished the game with 23 points and 17 rebounds, shooting 9-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-11 from beyond the arc.
• McLaughlin finished with a game-high 25 points, shooting an efficient 10-for-16 from the field to go along with six rebounds and two blocks.
• Kory Donlin (Warren, Maine) and Brayden St. Pierre (Readfield, Maine) each finished in double figures, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively.
• Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine) facilitated the offense, finishing with a career-high ten assists.

Leaders – Lesley:

• Leonard led all Lynx with ten points on 4-of-8 shooting and added five rebounds in 21 minutes.
• Nzeyimana tallied nine points and three rebounds.
• Tarell Joseph came off the bench and added nine points in just 17 minutes.

UP NEXT

The Beavers will look for the season sweep of Thomas College on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM in Dearborn Gymnasium.