PLYMOUTH, N.H. - University of Maine at Farmington senior standout Jessica Dow (Saco, Maine) entered Friday's season opener just 13 points shy of 1,000 for her collegiate career. After being held to just five points in the first half, Dow came out determined in the second half, finishing with 19 points to become the 20th player in Farmington women's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point milestone, helping lead the Beavers to an 80-55 victory over Plymouth State.
How it Happened
The reigning North Atlantic Conference (NAC) champions came out firing on all cylinders, never trailing en route to the season-opening victory. The Beavers jumped out to an early 12-4 lead after six minutes of play, doing all their damage in the paint. Farmington's defense was equally impressive over the opening ten minutes, forcing seven Panther turnovers.
Back-to-back three-pointers from first-year Taylor Loring (Bradley, Maine) and senior Melissa Mayo (Bridgton, Maine) in the final 75 seconds of the quarter extended Farmington's lead to 12. However, consecutive jumpers from Genna Bolduc in the final minute made it an 18-10 game in favor of Farmington heading into the second quarter.
Farmington opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers from Dow and first-year Kaitlyn Frost (Monmouth, Maine). Following the run, Dow picked up a pair of fouls, giving her three for the game and forcing her to the bench with 6:08 remaining in the first half. Over the final six minutes of the quarter, Plymouth outscored Farmington 15-9 to cut the deficit to ten heading into halftime.
Farmington put the game away with a dominant third quarter, outscoring Plymouth 27-12 to build a 25-point advantage. Dow led the way for the Beavers, doing a little bit of everything to spark the run. In the third quarter alone, Dow finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Dow was sitting at 997 career points after knocking down a pair of free throws with just over four minutes remaining in the quarter. Two possessions later, she used a screen from Lilly Gray (Benton, Maine) to drive all the way to the basket, converting a layup while drawing a foul to bring her career total to 999 points. Dow stepped to the free-throw line and calmly sank the shot to reach 1,000 career points and etch her name into the program's record book.
Jaydn Pingree (Jay, Maine) also had a big third quarter for the Beavers, scoring eight of her 19 points in the period to help put the game out of reach.
Stats of the Game:
Farmington:
Field Goal Pct: 48.4% (31-64)
Three-Point Pct: 47.1% (8-17)
Free Throw Pct: 71.4% (10-14)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 40 (5-35)
Turnovers: 13
Plymouth State:
Field Goal Pct: 28.3% (17-60)
Three-Point Pct: 22.7% (5-22)
Free Throw Pct: 69.6% (16-23)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 39 (10-29)
Turnovers: 19
Leaders - Farmington:
- Dow finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals while shooting 6-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
- Pingree also finished with 19 points, adding six rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals while shooting 8-of-15 from the field.
- Kytana Williamson (Nobleboro, Maine) added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, knocking down both of her three-point attempts.
- Mayo finished with 11 points, connecting on 3-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc.
Leaders - Plymouth State:
- Macy Swormstedt finished with ten points, three rebounds, and three assists in 35 minutes.
- Ashley Stephens posted ten points and seven rebounds in just 22 minutes of action.
Milestone Moment:
UP NEXT
The Beavers will host the University of Maine at Augusta on Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM for their home opener.
