2/23/08

Men's basketball falters vs. Lesley

FARMINGTON -- The University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball twice rallied from deficits against Lesley University in North Atlantic Conference action this evening at Dearborn Gymnasium, only to have the Lynx outscore the Beavers 10-0 over the final 4:30 to snatch a 64-57 victory.

Farmington slipped to 11-14 overall and 7-6 in the NAC, while the Lynx improved to 10-15 (8-5). Both teams await the release of the NAC postseason schedule on Sunday with quarterfinal action tabbed for Tuesday.

 Isaac Hutchinson (Oakland, ME) and Ted Neil (Strong, ME) each tallied 12 points for Farmington with Eric Taylor (Oakland, ME) scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The Beavers were held to 38.0 percent shooting from the floor (19 of 50), including two for 14 from beyond the arc, while Lesley hit 46.8 percent (22-47) from the floor.

Mark Stevens (Las Vegas, NV) paced the Lynx with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, with Joseph Chatman (Boston, MA) chipping in 16 points with an eight-for-eight foul line effort and Jesus Trejo (Methuen, MA) posting a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

Lesley stormed into the contest with 16-4 run over the first 5:30, but the Beavers battled back with a 13-2 stretch that was closed by a Taylor layup for a 22-21 edge for the hosts. On the Lynx next trip, Stevens stroked a 3-pointer to start a 12-3 run to give Lesley a 33-27 advantage at intermission.

Lesley built the lead to 40-31 early in the second half, but Farmington followed with a 12-0 run -- closed by a layup by Pat Howell (Nobleboro, ME) -- for a 43-40 Farmington lead with 11 minutes left in the game.

The Beavers maintained the lead, but the Lynx kept the deficit within one possession. Hutchinson hit a jumper with 4:32 remaining in the game to give Farmington a 57-54 lead, but it was the final basket for the hosts. Back-to-back hoops by Chatman and Trejo allowed Lesley to take a 58-57 edge with 2:31 left. The Lynx were able to close out things at the foul line with a six-for-six performance as the Beavers missed five shots and turned the ball over twice down the stretch in falling 64-57.

Box score