FARMINGTON, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team ended the regular season on a high note Saturday afternoon, taking down Maine Maritime Academy, 80-75, in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) battle inside Dearborn Gymnasium.

The Records:

The victory marked the Beavers' 20th of the season, moving them to 20-5 overall and 17-1 in NAC action to close the regular season. The 20 wins are the most in a season for Farmington since 2019-20. Maine Maritime finished the regular season 11-14 overall and 11-7 in conference play.

Milestone Captured:

After grabbing his eighth rebound of the game, junior forward Jason Reynolds (Winslow, Maine) etched his name into program history, becoming the program's single-season rebound record holder. He surpassed a record set by Truman Libby that had stood since the 1965-66 season.

Senior Spotlight:

Prior to tip-off, the Farmington men's basketball team had the privilege of honoring seniors Cole Banks (Chelsea, Vt.) and Aidan O'Connell (Camden, Maine) for their dedication to the program throughout their playing careers.

How it Happened:

The game got off to a slow start, with both teams struggling from the field. After five minutes of play, the Beavers clung to a narrow 8-6 advantage following a Reynolds layup off a feed from Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine).

Following the Reynolds layup, three different Mariners connected on triples on three straight possessions to quickly take a 15-8 lead. Gabe Hagar, Abhi Mahil, and Marcus Schade each knocked down a three for Maine Maritime.

Farmington's leading scorer, Zach McLaughlin (Hampden, Maine), was held scoreless for the first 7:48 of play but could not be contained for long. The sophomore guard got going in a big way for the Beavers, hitting a pair of free throws to record his first points of the game. That was all he needed to ignite his offense. McLaughlin scored 17 points over the next eight minutes and helped Farmington reclaim the lead after throwing down a dunk in transition.

Brayden St. Pierre and Reynolds each added threes on the subsequent two possessions as the Beavers built a 39-34 advantage in the final two minutes of the half.

The Mariners got buckets from Marcus Schade and Jack Banks in the closing minutes before McLaughlin nailed a 30-footer from the top of the key to put the Beavers up six heading into halftime. The buzzer-beating three was his fourth of the half and gave him 22 points in the opening 20 minutes.

The Mariners stayed within striking distance for much of the second half, getting key threes from Drew Hamilton and Hagar to pull within a point on multiple occasions. Following a Hagar three with just over 8:30 remaining, the Mariners trailed 60-57.

McLaughlin took over on the next three possessions, drilling back-to-back threes followed by a tough layup, rattling off an 8-0 run by himself to give the Beavers an 11-point lead.

Farmington appeared ready to pull away after McLaughlin canned his seventh three of the game to put the Beavers up 80-62 with 3:33 left and force a Mariner timeout.

However, the Mariners responded with a 13-0 run to cut the deficit to five. Aaron Pensel's three-pointer capped the run with 17 seconds remaining, but it proved too late as the Beavers held on for the 80-75 victory.

Farmington:
Field Goal Pct: 44.8% (30-for-67)
Three-Point Pct: 41.0% (16-for-39)
Free Throw Pct: 50.0% (4-for-8)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 41 (10-31)
Turnovers: 11

Maine Maritime:
Field Goal Pct: 46.9% (30-for-64)
Three-Point Pct: 45.8% (15-for-41)
Free Throw Pct: 0.0% (0-for-1)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 29 (2-27)
Turnovers: 9

Leaders - Farmington:

• McLaughlin matched his career high, finishing with 35 points on 13-of-28 shooting from the floor and an exceptional 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. He also added four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
• Reynolds recorded his 23rd double-double of the season, totaling 18 points and 17 rebounds while shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-10 from three-point range.
• Kory Donlin (Warren, Maine) came off the bench to finish in double figures, adding 10 points in 25 minutes.
• Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine) filled the stat sheet with four points, nine assists, four rebounds, and four steals.

Leaders - Maine Maritime:

• Hamilton was extremely efficient, shooting 8-of-11 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc en route to a team-high 21 points.
• Schade finished with 19 points, six assists, and four steals while shooting 8-of-18 from the floor.
• Pensel also reached double figures, posting 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in 31 minutes.

UP NEXT

The Beavers will host a NAC quarterfinal on Sunday, February 22. The opponent and game time will be announced at a later date.