FARMINGTON – After falling behind by as much as 11 points in the 3rd quarter, the University of Maine at Farmington women’s basketball team battled all the way back to take a lead but fell late, dropping a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) game at the hands of Thomas College, 61-58.
The Beavers jumped out to an early seven-point lead after going on a 12-5 run to break a 4-4 tie. The Beavers’ run was capped by a three from the left wing by first-year guard Melissa Mayo (Bridgton, Maine).
After the Beavers took a 16-12 run into the 2nd quarter, a three-pointer from Emily Parent and a jumper in the lane from Samantha Fortin erased the Beavers’ lead and gave Thomas a 17-16 lead. Farmington quickly regained a lead after back-to-back threes from Mayo and MiKayla Rioux (Winslow, Maine) gave the Beavers a five-point lead.
The Beavers’ lead did not last long as Thomas fought back and knotted the game up at 23 apiece. After a pair of free throws from Sarah Poli (Benton, Maine) and a layup from Ruby McMinis (Wells, Maine) broke the tie, the Terriers closed out the half on a 14-3 run to take a 37-30 lead into halftime.
A Brooke Jones three-pointer capped an 8-4 scoring spurt to open the 3rd quarter for the Terriers who extended their lead to 11 with 6:17 to play in the quarter.
After Thomas grabbed a 45-34 lead, the Beavers closed the quarter on a 16-4 run to take a one-point lead into the 4th quarter. Senior captain led the comeback for the Beavers with impactful plays on both ends of the court. Hamilton’s defense turned into transition offensive opportunities for Farmington. Hamilton had a pair of huge rejections in the quarter to help the Beavers regain some momentum. The run was capped by a huge McMinis three from the top of the key.
A Mayo layup with 6:30 to play gave the Beavers a 55-52 lead. The lead would not hold as eight straight points for Thomas gave the Terriers a 60-55 advantage with 28 seconds to play. Elena Alderman scored four points to spark the Thomas run.
A Maddy White (Waldoboro, Maine) three from the top of the key put an end to a six minute scoreless drought and cut the Beavers deficit to just two with 16 seconds left.
After a quick trap, the Beavers were forced to foul and send Parent to the line. Parent made the first free throw and missed the second, setting up an opportunity for the Beavers to send the game to overtime with a late three-pointer. After a timeout to set up a play, first-year guard Jessica Dow (Saco, Maine) got a good look on a step-back three that was right on line, but struck back iron as the Beavers lost their second straight game by three.
Mayo scored 12 points, knocking down 3-6 from three-point range to lead the Beavers. Poli, Dow, and McMinis finished with eight points. Poli added a game-high 12 rebounds. Hamilton pitched in with seven points, eight rebounds, and three blocks off the bench.
Alderman led the Terriers with 12 points. Parent and Hannah Coolen each finished with nine points off the bench for Thomas.
With the win Thomas improves to 8-10 on the season with a 5-3 record in North Atlantic Conference play. The Beavers dropped to 6-12 with a 3-5 record in NAC play.
UP NEXT: The Beavers take on Vermont State Lyndon on Friday and Saturday for a pair of important NAC contests. Friday’s game with the Hornets is scheduled for 7:30 PM
