FARMINGTON, ME
The UMPI Men's Basketball Team traveled to take on Farmington Saturday with an excellent overall record of 7-3 but were in jeopardy of dropping their second straight North Atlantic Conference matchup with senior Gilbert Jean Mendez sidelined due to an injury. The Owls showed great grit however, and proved they had their teammate's back, grinding out the 73-67 victory to even their conference record at 1-1.
How it Happened:
It wasn't all sunshine and roses for the Owls however, who quickly fell behind as Farmington sharpshooter, Simon Chadborne opened up the game with 8 quick points to put the Beavers in front 8-0. The Owls found an answer for Chadborne shortly thereafter but would still have to play from behind. The first half was a grind for points for the Owls whose otherwise high-powered offense had been silenced last night at Husson. UMPI shot 40% as a team in the first half and had just one three-pointer. The Owls found themselves behind 36-29 at the recess.
UMPI couldn't seem to flip the script for the first part of the second half either, trailing by as many as ten. UMPI went on a slow run from 14:39 all the way to 10:19 when they finally took their first lead at 53-52. This lead would not stick however, as Farmington answered the bell and took back control, ahead by seven, 65-58 with 6:12 to go.
That is when UMPI's defense began to stand on its head preventing any buckets as the Owls chipped away at the lead once again. They officially re-took the lead at 3:51 to go. Farmington finally ended their drought with 38 seconds left to bring the game to 69-67. UMPI's defense held UMF scoreless for nearly six minutes.
In the end, UMPI was able to ice the game with some big free throws, and a layup by Myles Jones with 12 seconds left that proved to be the dagger. The Owls triumphed 73-67.
Top Performers:
The Owls were paced in the scoring column once again by Akhe McMichael with 19 points, while Doug McCalla had his season high of 16 points, as well as ten rebounds. Myles Jones had 14 points. Dwaine Williams added 10 rebounds. The Owls continued to have many heroes throughout their first semester of play, and played exceptionally well in the second half, shooting 56% as a team.
Next up:
The Owls close out the first semester at 8-3 overall and 1-1 in conference. They will have a 23 day hiatus from games before hosting Lesley University on January 7th.
