WATERVILLE – The University of Maine at Farmington men’s basketball team has made its mark by the three-pointer thus far in 2021-22.
In Wednesday night’s meeting with Colby College, the three proved to be the Beavers’ undoing.
A Mules squad that entered the game averaging 8.8 three-point field goals per game caught fire from long range and went 17-of-44 from beyond the arc, propelling Colby past UMF, 86-81 in overtime, in Wednesday’s matchup on the Whitman-Mitchell Court at the Margaret M. Crook Center.
UMF (5-2) connected on a season-low three of its 14 attempts (.214 3FG%) from beyond the arc.
The Beavers narrowly outshot the Mules and dominated the boards – handily so, with a 44-36 advantage on the glass – and appeared to have victory within reach following Zach Brown’s layup to put UMF up 68-58, with 4:54 showing on the second-half game clock. Brown’s two-point bucket capped a 14-4 UMF run to take the lead, after the Beavers trailed 54-50 at the 10:39 mark of the frame.
However, Colby outscored UMF, 14-4, down the stretch, forcing the game into overtime. The Beavers, who shot 41.6 percent (32-of-77) from the floor over the course of the game, ended the second half with a 1-of-6 shooting effort during the Mules’ final surge.
Jack Kane’s layup gave UMF an early lead in the extra session, but back-to-back treys by Colby’s Will King helped give the Mules a six-point lead, 80-74, with three minutes remaining. A Terion Moss trey and a pair of free throws from Nathan Poulin brought the Beavers back to within one, 80-79. After Moss and Colby’s Matt Hanna traded two-point buckets, King went 3-for-4 at the line in the final minute to help the Mules keep the Beavers’ comeback efforts in check.
Moss led UMF with 30 points on 11-of-28 shooting, including two of the Beavers’ three treys in the game. He also dished out six assists and charted four steals. Kane finished with 28 points on a 13-of-19 effort from the floor, and completed the double-double with 10 rebounds. Kyle Donlin also cracked double figures with 11 points to go with four assists.
Colby had four scorers in double digits, led by Hanna with 19 points. He was 7-of-21 from the floor, including five three-pointers. King and Alec McGovern tallied 14 points each, while Noah Tyson charted 13 points. King led the Mules on the glass with nine rebounds.
UMF men’s basketball returns to North Atlantic Conference play this Saturday, Dec. 11, when it travels to Castine to face Maine Maritime. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.
