FARMINGTON, Maine - In a game where the winner would clinch the top overall seed in the upcoming North Atlantic Conference (NAC) tournament, the University of Maine at Farmington women's basketball team was unable to keep pace or keep Maine Maritime Academy off the glass Saturday afternoon, dropping its regular-season finale, 68-50.
The Records:
Farmington finished the regular season 18-7 overall and 15-3 in NAC action following the setback. Maine Maritime improved to 17-8 overall and 16-2 in conference play with the victory.
How it Happened:
The opening five minutes were relatively slow, as the game began as a defensive battle. Both teams used high-pressure, physical defense to disrupt the other's offensive flow. A Jessica Dow (Saco, Maine) three with 5:16 left in the opening quarter made it a 6-5 game, with the Mariners holding a slight advantage.
Maine Maritime began to create separation late in the quarter. Savannah Ferguson hit a triple on the final possession to put the Mariners up 16-9 heading into the second quarter. The Mariners held the Beavers to just 3-of-14 shooting from the field and grabbed four offensive rebounds in the quarter, setting the tone on both ends of the floor.
The teams traded buckets for the first five-plus minutes of the second quarter. A tough layup by Dow while drawing a foul made it 29-18 after she was unable to convert the free throw.
Maine Maritime responded with back-to-back threes from Grace Huntwork and Sydney Loring to quickly extend the lead to 17 with two and a half minutes remaining in the half. Addison Forry's persistence on the final possession of the half put the Mariners up 18 after she grabbed two offensive rebounds on the sequence. Overall, Maine Maritime dominated the glass in the quarter, outrebounding the Beavers 18-2. Farmington forced seven turnovers in the quarter to stay within striking distance.
The Mariners controlled the boards in the first half, holding a commanding 31-9 advantage heading into the third quarter.
Melissa Mayo (Bridgton, Maine) opened the third quarter with a deep three, and Dow attacked the rim repeatedly, drawing contact and earning eight free-throw attempts in the quarter alone. She converted all eight. However, the Beavers were unable to cut into the deficit. Hailey Blanchard, Dagan, Ferguson, and Laney Lyle each hit threes in the quarter, keeping Farmington at arm's length.
Maine Maritime led by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter, but back-to-back triples from Mayo trimmed the deficit to 17 inside the final five minutes. It was not enough to get the Beavers over the hump. Pingree also knocked down a three in the quarter for Farmington.
Farmington:
Field Goal Pct: 26.8% (15-for-56)
Three-Point Pct: 27.3% (6-for-22)
Free Throw Pct: 87.5% (14-for-16)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 25 (6-19)
Turnovers: 15
Maine Maritime:
Field Goal Pct: 39.3% (24-for-61)
Three-Point Pct: 36.7% (11-for-30)
Free Throw Pct: 90.0% (9-for-10)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 50 (15-35)
Turnovers: 21
Leaders - Farmington:
- Dow led all scorers with a game-high 17 points. She shot 3-of-9 from the field and an efficient 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. She also added four rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
- Pingree contributed across the board with nine points, six rebounds, and five assists.
- Mayo shot 3-of-8 from beyond the arc and finished with nine points and two steals.
Leaders - Maine Maritime:
- Jacqueline Castro led the Mariners with 13 points and seven rebounds in just 16 minutes of action.
- Forry made her impact on both ends of the floor, totaling eight points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks.
- Huntwork hit 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and finished with 11 points in 20 minutes.
- Loring came off the bench to add 10 points and four rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Beavers finished third overall in the conference, earning a home playoff game. Farmington will host sixth-seeded VTSU Lyndon on Thursday evening at 7:00 PM
