BANGOR, ME
The Owls exorcised some ghosts on Sunday afternoon but ultimately triumphed in what became one of the biggest wins in the history of UMPI Basketball. The Owls upset the Second ranked Husson Eagles in their own building despite several Eagle comeback bids, one of which forced overtime. The Owls stood strong and were the better team as they will now play on Saturday for a bid at the NCAA Tournament as they will travel to Farmington for the North Atlantic Conference Championship.
How it Happened:
The first half of this all-time classic was defined by defense as the Owls held the conference's best offense to just 25 points. They were aided by poor Husson shooting as they went 35% from the floor, and had just two threes in the half, while only getting to the line once. UMPI themselves struggled even more from the floor, shooting 31% but made five threes on a high volume of shots, and made a 9-0 run at the end of the half to go from 23-19 Husson to a 28-23 Owl advantage. It was 28-25 going into halftime.
It was more of a deadlock at the beginning of the second half. Team's traded buckets and the game never got more than a five point discrepancy, until Yuki Ishibashi hit a big three at the 5:44 mark to make it 55-48 UMPI. The Owls appeared to be peaking at the right time and hoped a late game push would be enough. They eventually grew the lead to 64-56 at the 2:24 mark but Husson quickly answered cutting it to six. Each team had an empty possession as more time came off, before the Owls took it all the way down to 47 seconds. Husson then got the ball and hit an insane and-one three-pointer which was really the only possible outcome for them to come back in it so quickly. After the free throw, the Eagles cut it to two points with 40 seconds left. It was a back-breaking blow, made worse by the Eagles tying it with nine seconds left. It felt as though the ghosts of last year's playoff heartbreak were out and present, haunting UMPI as they had that first-round game on the same floor slip away after a variety of fluke things occurred.
The last second shot at the buzzer from the Owls barely missed and the game headed to Overtime at 64 points apiece. When most teams would be reeling from the shock of being held scoreless over the final 2:24 of regulation, and also from giving up a four-point play in the final minute, the Owls showed no signs of concern or vulnerability.
They simply got back to work, and proved they were the better team on this day. They've believed they were as good as any team in the conference with this impressive second semester, but now they had the opportunity to prove it. On the road. In a hostile environment. With dozens of championship banners hanging overhead. The Owls were not phased by seeing a lead slip away nor by their environment.
The Owls scored the first seven points of overtime thanks to a couple of huge Tariq Martin buckets, including a hoop and harm. At 71-64 with 2:40 left, UMPI had the edge again, but four free throws in a row brought it back to a three-point game with 1:38 left. Then Tyson Enget delivered a huge three at 1:21 to go back up by six, much like the end of regulation. The Owls had more than the edge, as it would take another miracle for Husson to get back in it. But the ghosts seemed to still be out.
Husson got to the rim quickly for a layup before the Owls missed the front end of a one-and-one, cracking the door slightly. The door opened wider after another quick bucket went through at the 21 second mark to make it 74-72. The Owls have been one of the best free throw shooting teams in the conference throughout the year and now had to make that stat mean something. AJ Creech went to the line first with 18 seconds left, making one of two. Husson got down the floor but missed two golden opportunities underneath and the Owls got a huge board from Tariq Martin putting him back at the line with 8.4 seconds. Martin split the pair, but just one made it a two-possession game. The Owls wisely allowed Husson to go free to the cup for an easy two, but it took the game down to 3.2 seconds.
After a timeout to avoid a five-second violation, UMPI got the ball in to Tyson Enget who was immediately fouled with 2 seconds left. Enget, who has been Mr. Consistency all season long, calmly, and cold bloodedly sunk both free throws in a high pressure scenario sealing the UMPI win 78-74.
The Context:
The Owls celebrated as Newman Gymnasium stood in shock. After back-to-back postseason heartbreaks on the same floor to UMaine Farmington the last two years, UMPI left feeling more than good this time, as they will now play in the North Atlantic Conference Championship Game for the first time in school history. This win was also UMPI's first win over the Eagles since 2023-24, snapping a five game skid.
The Owls' reversal of recent history also reversed some older history as well. UMPI endured a lot of postseason heartbreak to Husson University throughout history as well, making this win extra special. Several of the UMPI's best teams in program history in the mid-'90s saw their seasons end at the hands of the Eagles in agonizingly close contests. Here is some of the postseason history with the Eagles that make this win about even more than just this year's team and their accomplishments through much adversity:
· 1993-94 (16-10), Lost in MAC Championship to Husson, 87-86
· 1994-95 (19-7), Lost in MAC Semifinals to Husson, 80-78.
· 1996-97 (17-9), Lost in MAC Semifinals to Husson, 91-89.
(MAC: Maine Athletic Conference)
Top Performers:
UMPI was led yet again by their senior scoring leader Akhe McMichael who had 23 points. McMichael dealt with foul trouble but still found a way to produce well, shooting 8-14 from the field and hitting five threes. Next closest was Yuki Ishibashi who had some of the best and certainly most important bench minutes UMPI has had all year long. Ishibashi stepped up huge when McMichael had foul trouble. He had 18 points on 6-10 shooting and made three three-pointers as well. Tyson Enget was massive with 14 points and four steals, Doug McCalla had 11 points and eight rebounds, while Tariq Martin had eight points and eight boards as well.
Next Up:
UMPI will play for the NAC Championship next Saturday at UMaine Farmington. UMPI sits at 15-12, now winners of six straight games and 13 of their last 15. It'll be the first time in school history that UMPI will play in a game for the chance of heading to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. Stay tuned to UMPI Social Medias for updates on game information and start time.
