FARMINGTON, Maine – After a back-and-forth shootout in the first half, the Beavers tightened the straps on the defensive end of the floor, pulling away and holding on late for a 91-83 victory over Husson University on Saturday afternoon in Dearborn Gymnasium.

The Records:

The victory for Farmington moves the Beavers to 9-3 overall while improving to 6-0 in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action heading into the second semester. Husson dropped to 5-3 overall while picking up its first conference loss, falling to 4-1.

How It Happened:

Both teams came out of the gates on fire, hitting shots from all over the court, many of which were well contested. For the Eagles, Eric Ahlers got hot, scoring 26 of the team's first points to help open up a 26-19 lead after eight and a half minutes of action.

Sophomore point guard Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine) steadied the play for the Beavers, responding to Ahlers' hot start with consecutive driving layups, followed by a Kory Donlin (Warren, Maine) layup to pull Farmington back within a point.

During the first half, every time Farmington drew within a single possession, Husson answered with a quick burst to regain control. After Ahlers set the tone early, Connor Heald closed the half strong, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor en route to 13 first-half points, with much of his work coming from the midrange.

After trailing for the entirety of the opening half, junior guard Brayden St. Pierre (Readfield, Maine) drilled a three with a minute left before halftime to give Farmington its first lead of the afternoon, 43-41.

A jumper and a pair of free throws from Heald helped Husson reclaim a two-point advantage, but Michaud found a wide-open St. Pierre in the final seconds of the half for an easy layup to send the game into halftime tied at 45.

Farmington came out of halftime swinging. The Beavers opened the second half on a 13-2 run, quickly jumping out to a 58-47 lead just four minutes in. St. Pierre hit a pair of threes, and Jason Reynolds (Winslow, Maine) drilled one of his own to spark the run.

The Beavers continued their offensive showcase as St. Pierre, McLaughlin, Reynolds, and Donlin all connected from beyond the arc, building a 19-point lead with just over six minutes left to play. St. Pierre and Reynolds each hit three triples in the second half, as Farmington shot 8-of-17 from deep as a team.

Husson clawed back into the game in the final minutes after a Michaud layup made it 81-62. The Eagles quickly rattled off a 14-2 run to make it a six-point game with two and a half minutes remaining. The Beavers' lead shrank to four with just over a minute to play, but Farmington hit 6-of-8 from the free-throw line down the stretch to close out the victory.

Stats of the Game:

Farmington:
Field Goal Pct: 47.0% (31-for-66)
Three-Point Pct: 48.3% (14-for-29)
Free Throw Pct: 75.0% (15-for-19)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 38 (13-25)
Turnovers: 12

Husson:
Field Goal Pct: 52.4% (33-for-63)
Three-Point Pct: 42.3% (11-for-26)
Free Throw Pct: 66.7% (6-for-9)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 28 (4-24)
Turnovers: 13

Leaders – Farmington:

• McLaughlin scored a game-high 27 points on 10-for-25 shooting from the floor while also hauling down a career-high nine rebounds in 40 minutes of action.
• Reynolds finished with 20 points and 12 boards, recording his eighth straight double-double. He also did work on the offensive glass, grabbing five offensive rebounds and helping lead to 21 second-chance points.
• Donlin came off the bench and finished with 18 points, shooting an efficient 6-of-8 from the floor, 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
• St. Pierre added a career-high 16 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-7 from three.

Leaders – Husson:

• Gil Matondo and Heald each finished with 18 points to lead the way for Husson. Matondo added a team-high seven rebounds while shooting 9-for-14 from the floor. Heald went 7-of-8 from the floor and grabbed four boards.
• Ahlers finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
• Andre McCauley chipped in 14 points, knocking down 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in 24 minutes of play.

Up Next:

Farmington will get a much-deserved break and will not return to action until January 5, when the Beavers host VTSU Lyndon at 3:00 p.m.