FARMINGTON – It had been 624 days since the last time the University of Maine at Farmington men’s basketball team had played on back-to-back days – its usual weekend schedule format during conference play – heading into Saturday’s intra-state matchup with the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
So, it was a legitimate question: less than 24 hours off a game against Maine’s only NCAA Division I program, how would the Beavers respond?
With plenty of offense, turned out to be the answer.
The Beavers shot .600 from the field and hit the century mark on the scoreboard while rolling to a 100-60 win over the Bengals, in Saturday afternoon’s 2021-22 home opener at Dearborn Gymnasium.
Three UMF players scored in double figures, including two who accounted for nearly half the Beavers’ 100 points.
Jack Kane led the Beavers with a career-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor, and narrowly missed out on a double-double for the second night in a row with his nine rebounds versus the Bengals.
Terion Moss netted 23 points for the Beavers on a 10-of-14 shooting performance, including three 3-pointers.
Zach Brown came off the bench to tally 12 points.
A 12-2 run midway through the first half turned a one-possession game into a double-digit lead for the Beavers. Moss bookended the UMF surge, which started with a layup to extend the Beavers’ lead to 22-17, and ended with Moss’ trey at the 8:34 mark of the frame to put UMF in front, 32-19.
Bryce Gilbert’s 3-pointer briefly interrupted the Beavers’ run and pulled the Bengals to within 10 points, 32-22, but from there UMF outscored UMaine-Fort Kent 23-10 over the remainder of the first half and went into the intermission with a 55-32 lead.
The Beavers extended their lead early in the second half, with the margin reaching 40 points, 78-38, on Kane’s layup with 12:59 showing on the game clock.
Brandon Ruaro led UMaine-Fort Kent with 12 points, while Aiden Grady finished with 11 points. The Beavers held the Bengals to just .373 (22-of-59) shooting from the floor, and UMaine-Farmington out-rebounded UMFK, 38-31.
UMF men’s basketball is back at Dearborn Gym on Wednesday, Nov. 17, when it hosts Southern Maine Community College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. All spectators to UMF home basketball games are required to wear masks, and provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen tests accepted; “at home” tests not accepted) taken within 72 hours prior to the game. Complete information available at www.goUMFbeavers.com/COVID
