BANGOR, ME
For the second straight year, the UMPI Owls were matched up with the University of Maine at Farmington Beavers in the NAC Quarterfinal round. UMPI had swept the Beavers during the regular season and had earned soul possession of the two seed with a 10-3 conference record. When they took the floor on Friday evening, it was clear from the beginning that everyone would be in for an all-time classic battle. Unfortunately for the Owls and their record-breaking season, it was a last second shot in double-overtime by the Beavers that ended it.
How it Happened:
The Beavers got out to an early lead and the Owls would play from behind for most of regulation. Farmington led 10-2 to start giving themselves control of the game early. The first half became an offensive struggle for UMPI, who entered the game averaging the top mark in the conference of over 80 points per game. The Owls shot 31% from the field, one of their season lows. Farmington struggled as well in the defensive battle, shooting 37% and went in with a 29-22 halftime lead.
The tides began to shift in the second half as the Owls started to click and gain some momentum for the first time on the night. A 12-0 run gave the Owls a 49-44 lead with 9 minutes to play. Farmington wouldn't be down long however, as they retook the lead, and the game entered stalemate mode all the way down to 2:35 to play with the Beavers up 56-50. UMPI went six and a half minutes without a field goal until a late game burst got them back in it. A three by Gilbert Jean Mendez made it 56-53, and then eventually a go ahead three by Dwaine Williams made it 60-58 Owls with under ten seconds to play.
60-58 was the same final score a year ago when the Beavers beat the Owls in the playoffs. Unfortunately for UMPI, that ironic twist would not hold. UMF tied the game on a layup with a second to go. The Owls couldn't get a quality look off before regulation expired.
UMPI played from ahead in the first overtime, scoring first. The teams traded baskets, and the Owls led by two possessions at 69-65 before a couple of stops by Farmington allowed them to tie it at 69 with 1:07 to go in Overtime. A couple of free throws from Akhe McMichael and a tying layup by UMF made it 71-all with 40 seconds left. The Owls got a rebound with under a second left, took a timeout but couldn't quite execute a bid to win it, sending the game to a second overtime.
In the second overtime, UMF struck first, before UMPI went on a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead with 2:19 left on yet another clutch three-pointer from Dwaine Williams. This two-possession lead would slowly dissipate again as UMF made their free-throws down the stretch and grabbed defensive rebounds. UMPI led by a point 78-77 with 10 seconds left. The Beavers got it down low to their big-man and leader, Dylan Griffin who lost the handle, got it back, and put it up in and in for the game winning shot. With no timeouts left, UMPI couldn't advance the ball and had to put up a last-second heave that came up short and with it, the unbelievable 20-win season by the Owls came to a heartbreaking end.
Top Performers
The Owls were led by their iron-man and fifth year leader, Gilbert Jean Mendez. He never exited the game, playing all 50 minutes in his final collegiate game. He led UMPI with 23 points, going 9-17 from the field and knocking down 4 three-pointers. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and added four assists. Dwaine Williams supported his efforts with 16 points, including four three-pointers—a lot of them in extremely clutch moments. Akhe McMichael had 15 points, coming up big from the free-throw line going 9-12. Myles Jones also played a key defensive role, playing 46 minutes for UMPI during his final game. Charlie Mellick was huge as he played the rest of the game, following Saquan Carswell and Aleix Moreno fouling out.
Going Into Next Year:
Finishing 20-6, the Owls set all-time program records for both winning percentage (.769) and wins. They will bring back three regular starters next year, and hope to get Doug McCalla back healthy from a season-ending injury. Coach Kane will hit the recruiting trail hard again, hoping that the Owls can regroup from this devastating end to an otherwise outstanding season, and come back next year ready to compete throughout the year and win come late February.
