Owls Take Down Hornets, Coming Back Home for Playoffs
PRESQUE ISLE, ME
UMPI did their part in sweeping the weekend with a dominant 91-67 victory over the VTSU-Lyndon Hornets, while also getting even more help from their NAC Counterparts as University of Maine at Farmington defeated Maine Maritime Academy which opens the door for the Owls to finish as high as third once the National Power Index (NPI) is finalized. The Owls' senior day was a perfect outcome as UMPI also finished the regular season above .500 for the second year in a row.
How it Happened:
Lyndon got out to a very early lead as the Owls offense struggled to get going. Lyndon made it 9-4 through the first four minutes before UMPI flipped the script. The Owls went on a 9-0 run to take the lead, and much like the night prior, it was a lead they'd never give up. The Owls beat Lyndon in transition and in less than six minute's time, UMPI was up by double digits. Lyndon didn't have answers on either side as the Owls picked Lyndon apart. UMPI kept the momentum all the way through the first half, growing the lead to 44-24 by the 3:40 mark. The Owls outscored Lyndon 40-15 over a 13 minute span. Going into halftime, it was 48-28. Amazingly, despite being up by 20 and scoring nearly 50 points in the half, the Owls shot 1-15 from three-point range, showing just how well they got in transition and got to the hoop. Even when one thing's not working, UMPI is able to find another way.
In the second half, the Owls were able to ride their first half dominance and let the lead do the work much like they did on Friday night. Lyndon began to heat up on offense and show why they have two of the best scorers in the conference. Lyndon would shoot 57% from the field as a team in the second half but still found no answers defensively as the Owls took care of the ball and had longer possessions while making seven threes in the half and shot 44% as a team. The game hovered around 20 points for a while, with the Hornets at their best, cutting it down to 13 points (73-60) with 6:37 remaining. UMPI took a stand from there, outscoring Lyndon 18-7 down the stretch, never making the home crowd sweat whatsoever, closing out the game 91-67.
Top Performers:
The Owls once again had a balanced attack with Akhe McMichael and Aleix Moreno leading the way in scoring with 18 points each. McMichael also had a stellar 14 rebounds which was a career high mark and his second straight night with a double-double. Akhe went 6-12 from the field as well as adding seven assists and five steals. Moreno was one board short of a double-double with nine rebounds. Tariq Martin had 14 big points as well as seven rebounds, Doug McCalla had 12 and nine, and Tyson Enget added 12 as well, making it five guys in double figures for the unselfish Owls.
Next Up:
UMPI awaits the final seeding but will likely finish third after MMA's loss to UMF. They finish the regular year at 13-12 and 11-7 in conference. If they do in fact finish third they will face Thomas College on Thursday evening with the official time to be announced. Stay tuned to the UMPI Athletics social media and website for updates.
