FARMINGTON – The University of Maine at Farmington fell to North Atlantic Conference (NAC) foe Thomas College Saturday afternoon in Dearborn Gymnasium by a score of 64-56.
UMF dropped to 4-10 over all and 3-5 in conference play while the Terriers will move to 7-8 over all and 5-3 in the conference.
UMF’s Amir Moss finished with team high 22 points shooting 6-12 from the field while tallying six rebounds and three assists. Teammate Riley Robinson added 11 points going 2-8 from the field and 2-4 from three-point land while hitting 5-7 at the free throw line.
Thomas looked to Carlos Gonzalez and Ian King early as they led the Terriers to an early 14-2 lead. After a three from Zach Mackinnon, the Terriers held a commanding 24-3 advantage 11 minutes into the first half.
The Beavers looked to keep pace as Moss netted 14 of his team’s 19 points to finish the half at 35-19. Both teams struggled offensively as the Beavers shot 5-for-21 from the floor and 0-for-6 from behind the arch.
Thomas kept up the defensive intensity in the second half as they held UMF scoreless for the first four minutes, allowing them to jump out to a 6-0 run. Eric Berry, Jimmie Chaisson, and Riley Robinson responded with a three-pointer each to bring the score to 42-29 with 14:23 remaining.
After a pair of free throws from Robinson at the 4:59 mark, the Beavers found themselves within seven. Jordan Derosby netted back-to-back buckets for Thomas to re-extend the lead.
With a few minutes remaining, the Terriers offense fell silent for just under three minutes while UMF came within five after a three-point play and free throws from Issac Witham. In the last minute, Gonzalez and Tyheem Simon finished the scoring at 64-56 to earn the win.
The Beavers will head to New England College on Friday, Jan. 20, with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m.