PRESQUE ISLE, ME
The UMPI Women's Basketball team played hosts to UMaine Farmington on Friday night, trying to avenge a nine-point loss from earlier in the season down at Farmington. Unfortunately for the home team, a 21-point second half lead by UMF was just barely enough for the Beavers to pick up the season sweep of the Owls.
How it Happened:
The Beavers showed right from the tip that it would become their game to lose as they jumped out to an early 10-point lead at 16-6. They grew it to 13 points before UMPI shrunk it to seven after one quarter. In the next ten minutes, the Beavers would slowly grow that back to a 13-point advantage when they went into halftime up 37-24. The trend would only continue as the Beavers were very efficient from the field shooting 38% as a team through the first three quarters. At one point the lead swelled to 50-29 with five minutes to go in the third. UMPI slowly cut into that at the end of the third and trailed by 15 with one quarter to go.
In the fourth was when the tide really began to switch. UMPI opened up the quarter on an 11-0 run, getting points from four different players during the span and cut it to four points prompting a UMF timeout as Wieden was re-energized with the comeback bid. The Owls continued to add pressure, as a three-pointer from Camryn Ala with 2:09 to go cut the lead down to one point as UMPI had outscored Farmington 26-6 from the time the lead was at its biggest. The Beavers went completely cold from the field in the fourth quarter as they were just 1-12, while UMPI shot 41% from the field in the last quarter.
Two free throws followed by another UMPI layup left it still at a one point game entering the final minute. With 24.7 seconds Jaydn Pingree hit the first field goal of the entire quarter for UMF, bringing it back to a three-point game. The Owls got a good look out of their timeout to tie it, but it came up tantalizingly short. Two more free throws for UMF, and they iced it to a two-possession game and there was nothing more the Owls could do.
UMF hung on to the lead and never gave it up despite it shrinking down to one point on more than one occasion and UMPI's scrappy comeback bid came just shy.
Top Performers:
UMPI was led in scoring and rebounds with 17 points and 13 rebounds as she inches closer to another career milestone. Anaira Ayala had 11 points and made two triples. Lindsay Hamilton was a welcome addition for the Owls coming back from injury and providing 11 points off the bench. Camryn Ala had nine points including a clutch three late in the fourth, while Jovanna Oliva had seven. Amelia Ivey added two points that came at a huge point in the Owls comeback bid.
Next Up:
UMPI falls to 4-14 overall, and 3-7 in conference play. They will have another NAC matchup as the Husson Eagles visit UMPI for a 1 p.m. start.
