FARMINGTON, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team punched its ticket to the 2026 NCAA Division III Tournament after taking down the University of Maine at Presque Isle, 84-58, in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championship on Saturday afternoon in Dearborn Gymnasium.

The NAC Championship victory marks the first conference title for the Beavers since 2010.

How It Happened

After a highly competitive, back-and-forth first half, the Beavers pulled away in the second half to secure the monumental victory.

Both teams struggled offensively to open the game, as neither scored until the 17:38 mark when junior forward Charlie Houghton (Dixfield, Maine) connected on a deep three to break the scoreless drought.

Houghton's three sparked a 10-2 run for the Beavers that included triples from sophomore point guard Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine) and junior forward Jason Reynolds (Winslow, Maine).

Ahke McMichael settled the Owls down, hitting a mid-range jumper and then a three-pointer on consecutive possessions to pull UMPI within three in the opening five and a half minutes of action.

Reynolds connected on his second three at the 10:37 mark to make it a 19-12 game. UMPI responded with an 8-1 run highlighted by an Aleix Moreno dunk in transition and capped off by a Yuki Ishibashi three-pointer to make it 21-20 with 8:30 left in the first half.

Three minutes later, Ishibashi knocked down back-to-back threes to give the Owls their first lead of the game with just under five and a half minutes remaining before halftime.

Farmington, led by Michaud's facilitation, closed the half on a 12-4 run to take a seven-point, 37-30 lead into the intermission. Michaud totaled eight points and six assists in the opening half to pace the Beavers. McMichael missed just one shot and scored 15 points to lead UMPI.

The Owls hung around early in the second half, trimming the deficit to seven after Doug McCalla canned a three from the top of the key six minutes into the period.

Junior guard Brayden St. Pierre (Readfield, Maine) changed the game in the second half on both ends of the floor. Following the McCalla three, St. Pierre hit a pair of threes and added a layup in transition to spark a 10-0 run, pushing the Beavers' lead to 17 and effectively putting the game out of reach.

Ishibashi hit another three to end the run and make it 55-41, but that was as close as the Owls would get. St. Pierre scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, knocking down three triples while also blocking three shots and adding two steals to shift the momentum firmly in Farmington's favor.

Sophomore guard Zach McLaughlin (Hampden, Maine) also found his rhythm after halftime. Held to just seven points in the first half, McLaughlin shot 5-of-9 in the second half and scored 12 points to help seal the victory. Reynolds dominated the glass in the second half, outrebounding the Owls by himself with 14 boards.

Stats of the Game

Farmington
Field Goal Percentage: 45.5% (30-for-66)
Three-Point Percentage: 38.7% (12-for-31)
Free Throw Percentage: 92.3% (12-for-13)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 36 (10-26)
Turnovers: 11

Presque Isle
Field Goal Percentage: 38.9% (21-for-54)
Three-Point Percentage: 27.8% (10-for-36)
Free Throw Percentage: 75.0% (6-for-8)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 30 (7-23)
Turnovers: 19

Leaders – Farmington

• McLaughlin finished with a game-high 19 points to lead the Beavers. He added three rebounds and two steals while shooting 7-of-17 from the floor, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc.
• Reynolds recorded his 24th double-double of the season with 16 points and 20 rebounds. He added two steals while shooting 5-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-9 from three-point range.
• St. Pierre did a little bit of everything, finishing with 15 points, five steals, four rebounds, and three blocks. He shot 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
• Michaud added a double-double of his own, totaling 12 points and 10 assists in 37 minutes. He shot 4-of-6 from the floor and knocked down his lone three-point attempt.

Leaders – Presque Isle

• McMichael led the Owls with 16 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. He added four assists and three rebounds.
• McCalla finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists in 32 minutes.
• Ishibashi came off the bench to score 12 points, hitting 4-of-7 from three-point range in 23 minutes.

Up Next

The Beavers will await their NCAA Tournament opponent, which will be announced at 1:00 PM on Monday.