PRESQUE ISLE, ME
It was the dawning of a new era as the UMPI Men's Basketball team opened up their season on Friday night, hosting University of Maine at Augusta. It was the first time since 2021-22 that the Owls opened up their season at home, as they looked to back up their number two rank in the NAC preseason poll. Though UMPI started off slowly and fell behind in the first half, they bounced back with a big second half and a vintage UMPI run to finish the game with an 84-68 victory.
How it Happened:
The Owls and Moose battled throughout a physical first half that saw UMA slowly creeping out to a lead midway through the half. UMPI struggled to make shots in the first, half shooting 35.7% from the field, while UMA found some answers by penetrating well, scoring 20 points in the paint in the first half. The Moose led by as many as eight points with under three minutes in the half, before the Owls closed out the frame on a run to make it a three-point game at the break at 39-36.
In the second half, the Owls totally flipped the script, as they looked like prime 2024-25 UMPI for the better part of the half. Not only did they shoot exceptionally well at 55%, but they also ramped up the defensive intensity, as they created more and more turnovers. Their good defense created good offense as the Owls made their big run by turning a 52-51 UMPI lead into a 73-51 rout. The 21-0 run was all UMPI needed to seal the deal, as UMA tried chipping away, bringing it within 15 points, but ran out of time as UMPI wore them down with clean possessions down the stretch, closing it out for an 84-68 win.
Top Performers:
There were some familiar names atop the box score for the Owls as Akhe McMichael rose to the occasion once again. He scored 23 points to lead the Owls offensively. Making nine of his 11 free throw attempts, he also went 4-7 from three-point range. Dwaine Williams also picked up right where he left off, draining five three-pointers for the Owls to support McMichael's scoring efforts. Some newcomers also made their presences known in this one as it was the showing out party for many of them. Tyson Enget showcased some serious grit, as he grinded his way to a double digit performance with 12 points, and five rebounds. Enget had his hand in a lot of great defensive plays as well. Aleix Moreno started his year off with a 10 point performance, and grabbing four rebounds as well. Yuki Ishibashi, another newcomer, played 35 minutes leading the team in floor time as he ran the point for the Owls. The pass-first guard had eight points as well as five assists. Tariq Martin came off the bench, grabbing nine rebounds to lead the Owls in boards as he got his first NCAA experience in a big way.
Next Up:
The Owls will get right back to action on Saturday afternoon when they host Fisher College at 1pm. UMPI will try to make it a clean sweep on the weekend and start the year 2-0.
