FARMINGTON, Maine – Sophomore guard Melissa Mayo (Bridgton, Maine) drilled a deep three from the top of the key as time expired, giving the University of Maine at Farmington a dramatic 65-62 victory over the University of Maine at Fort Kent on Friday evening.
The Records:
The Beavers ended their six-game losing streak with the win, improving to 3-7 on the season. The setback for the Bengals dropped them to 7-3.
How It Happened:
The first half of the game was fairly helter-skelter, as both teams struggled to find their rhythm. The Beavers turned the ball over 17 times in the opening half, while the Bengals committed 12 turnovers. Both teams combined to shoot just 9-for-32 from the free-throw line in the first half.
The Bengals' offense was led by CeCe Bell, who scored 18 points in the first half, including 11 of the team's 23 points in the first quarter. Jessica Dow (Saco, Maine) led the Beavers in the first half, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds.
After starting the game in man-to-man defense, the Beavers switched to a 2-3 zone that disrupted the flow of the game and made life difficult for Fort Kent. After allowing 23 points in the first quarter, Farmington held the Bengals to 4-for-20 shooting in the second quarter, thanks in part to the defensive adjustment.
Fort Kent clung to a 32-25 lead heading into the third quarter. Trinity Yocum hit a pair of threes in the third quarter, helping the Bengals extend their lead to 11 with just over four minutes to play in the period.
Farmington chipped away, closing the quarter with a 6-point deficit heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter is when things really started to get chaotic. Back-to-back layups from Mayo and Jazmine Pingree (Jay, Maine) cut the lead to just two with 8:30 left. However, a quick 5-0 run from the Bengals pushed the lead back to seven.
After a Grace Dwyer (Manchester, Maine) three-pointer, Nysia Ortiz hit a layup and then a three of her own, making it a 57-48 game with 3:15 remaining.
A free throw and a layup from Dow, along with a free throw from Jaydn Pingree (Jay, Maine), cut Farmington's deficit to five with just over two minutes to play. Ortiz responded with a floater in the lane on the ensuing Bengals possession to re-establish a seven-point lead.
After four consecutive missed free throws by the Bengals and a missed three-pointer—all on the same possession—Dow grabbed a rebound and found a streaking Dwyer for a layup to cut the deficit to five again. A Bengals turnover led to Jaydn Pingree being fouled and sent to the free-throw line with just over a minute to play. Pingree hit both free throws, cutting the lead to three.
Ortiz was fouled on the next Fort Kent possession and hit 1-of-2 from the line. Dwyer missed a three-pointer on the next possession for Farmington, forcing them to foul Tobie Yocum and send her to the line to try to extend the Bengals' lead. Yocum hit both free throws, pushing the lead to six with 41 seconds left.
After a timeout, Mayo came off a screen and found herself open in the corner. She drilled a three-pointer to make it a three-point game once again. A quick miss by the Bengals gave Farmington the ball with a chance to tie. Mayo launched a deep three that came up short, giving the ball back to Fort Kent with 12 seconds to play.
After Fort Kent called a timeout to advance the ball, Stellisha Thomas threw the ball away on the inbounds pass. Mayo picked up the loose ball but couldn't get her layup to drop. Dow grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled, sending her to the free-throw line for two shots. The foul was called on Ortiz, her fifth of the game, fouling her out of the contest. Fort Kent then entered a player into the game who was not listed in the scorebook, leading to a technical foul and giving Dow two additional free throws.
Dow was at the line shooting four free throws, needing to hit three to tie and four to take the lead. Dow drilled the first two, missed the third, and then calmly hit the fourth to tie the game. Following the technical free throws, the Beavers were awarded the ball once more.
The Beavers threw the ball away on the inbound pass, and Thomas scooped it up with no one in front of her as time was winding down. Feeling the pressure of the clock, Thomas mishandled the ball out of bounds, sending it back to the Beavers.
Farmington called a timeout to advance the ball and draw up a play for the win. A beautifully executed sideline out-of-bounds play freed Mayo at the top of the key, where she caught the ball, turned, and fired a 28-footer as time expired for the win.
Stats of the Game:
Farmington shot 32.2% (19-for-59) from the floor and 25.9% (7-for-27) from beyond the arc, compared to 31% (22-for-71) from the floor and 19.4% (6-for-31) from deep for the Bengals. The two teams were nearly even on the boards, with Farmington holding a slight 62-61 advantage. The Beavers turned the ball over 31 times, while Fort Kent had 27 turnovers.
Leaders - Farmington:
- Dow had a monster 21-point, 15-rebound double-double to lead the way for the Beavers.
- Dwyer finished with 14 points, six assists, and two steals in 30 minutes off the bench.
- Mayo had 11 points, draining three huge triples for the Beavers.
Leaders - Fort Kent:
- Bell led the way for Fort Kent, finishing with 22 points, nine boards, and six steals.
- Ortiz finished with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double.
- Karolyn Baptiste finished with ten points, and four boards.
UP NEXT
The Beavers return to action Saturday afternoon as they host the University of Maine at Presque Isle in a North Atlantic Conference battle. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM.
