FARMINGTON, Maine - Sophomore guard Zach McLaughlin picked up right where he left off on Friday evening. After finishing with a game-high 25 points in Friday's win over Lesley, McLaughlin poured in a career-high 35 as the Beavers held on late to take down Thomas College, 95-83, in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action on Saturday afternoon in Dearborn Gymnasium.

The Records:

The Beavers picked up their 17th win of the season, improving to 17-5 overall and 14-1 in NAC play. Thomas dropped to 7-14 overall and 6-8 in conference action with the loss.

How it Happened:

Farmington jumped out to an early lead behind seven quick points from McLaughlin and five from junior forward Charlie Houghton (Dixfield, Maine), staking the Beavers to a 14-5 advantage just over three minutes into the contest.

The Terriers found their footing midway through the opening half. After a jumper in the lane from Kory Donlin (Warren, Maine) put Farmington up ten, Thomas responded with an 11-4 run that included eight straight points from TJ Blackmon and was capped by a deep three from Jayden Desimone, trimming the margin to 23-20 with 11:10 remaining before halftime.

Thomas continued to apply pressure, getting a second triple from Desimone and an offensive rebound and putback from Isaiah Corson just minutes later to take a one-point lead and force a Beaver timeout.

Following a Payton Mitchell layup that made it 32-30 with just under six minutes left in the first half, McLaughlin spearheaded a 9-0 burst, scoring seven of those points—including a deep three—to help the Beavers reclaim a seven-point cushion.

Farmington stretched its lead to as many as ten, but a pair of free throws from Blackmon in the closing seconds sent the teams into halftime with the Beavers ahead, 48-40. McLaughlin scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the first half to lead Farmington, while Blackmon paced Thomas with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

Farmington began to stretch the lead early in the second half, as McLaughlin and Donlin combined to score nine straight points to open a 60-45 advantage with 14:30 left to play.

Five quick points from Yasmo Mohamud cut the lead to ten, but the Beavers answered with a 15-2 run, capped by back-to-back three-pointers from Donlin and Brayden St. Pierre (Manchester, Maine), pushing the margin to 23 and all but sealing the victory.

The Terriers trimmed the deficit to ten in the closing seconds, but it was too little, too late as Farmington held on for the crucial late-season conference win.

Stats of the Game:

Farmington:
Field Goal Pct: 47.9% (34-for-71)
Three-Point Pct: 42.3% (11-for-26)
Free Throw Pct: 76.2% (16-for-21)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 43 (11-32)
Turnovers: 17

Thomas:
Field Goal Pct: 47.8% (32-for-67)
Three-Point Pct: 31.8% (7-for-22)
Free Throw Pct: 52.2% (12-for-23)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 35 (8-27)
Turnovers: 14

Leaders – Farmington:

• McLaughlin's career-high 35 points came on 13-of-24 shooting from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range and 6-of-9 from the free throw line. He also added two steals and two rebounds.
• Donlin came off the bench to score 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, along with five rebounds in 27 minutes.
• Jason Reynolds (Winslow, Maine) continued his double-double streak, recording his 20th of the season with 12 points and 20 rebounds.
• Brayden St. Pierre finished with ten points, six assists, and four rebounds.

Leaders – Thomas:

• Blackmon finished with a game-high 40 points, shooting 17-of-26 from the floor, and added seven steals, six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
• Isaiah Godley also finished in double figures, scoring 14 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc while grabbing seven rebounds.

UP NEXT

The Beavers hit the road next weekend, traveling to Vermont to take on VTSU Johnson and VTSU Lyndon. Farmington will square off with the Badgers at 5:30 PM on Friday evening before facing the Hornets at 1:00 PM on Saturday.