GORHAM – Lindsay Ranquist scored a team-high 13 points for University of Maine at Farmington (0-2, 0-0) in Sunday’s, 65-50, loss to Rensselaer in the consolation game of the USM Tip-Off Classic.
RPI jumped out to an early, 7-0, lead in the opening three minutes.
“RPI forced the tempo with their pressure defense and resulted in easy baskets,” UMF head coach Jamie Beaudoin said after the game.
UMF clawed back into the game when Bianca Stoutamayer (Madison, Maine) got the Beavers on the board with a three-pointer. Thirty seconds later, Ranquist (Owls Head, Maine) drove to the hole and banked in a layup to cut the lead to two points.
In the next three minutes, the Engineers powered a 10-0 run to get the lead back to double-digits. Kennadi Grover (Cushing, Maine) cut the lead to 19-8 with a jump shot and one more from the free throw line.
For the remaining minutes of the first half, the Beavers continued to battle but could not get any closer than nine points. The Engineers went into the locker room with a, 42-30, lead on 13-of-41 (32 percent) shooting from the floor with the Beavers shooting 8-of-31 (29 percent) from the field.
“We were forced to play from behind, but settled over the last 30 minutes,” Beaudoin added. Kelly Pomerleau (Turner, Maine) did not waste any time helping the Beavers. The freshman hit a jump shot 10 seconds into the second half. On the Beavers’ next possession, Ranquist slimmed the lead to eight with another layup.
Rensselaer slowly increased its lead to 20 points with timely jump shots and defensive stops on the other end with eight minutes left in the game. However, UMF would not go away quietly. The Beavers scored nine unanswered points to get the lead back to 11.
In the final seven minutes, the Beavers continued their pursuit of a comeback, but the two teams traded baskets down the stretch.
When the final buzzer sound was heard, the Engineers shot 27 of 74 (37 percent) from the floor and 9 of 13 from the free throw line. The Beavers totaled 19 of 58 (33 percent) from the field and 10 of 21 from the charity stripe.
Ranquist’s shot her team-high 13 points on 6 of 15 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. Elizabeth Ferry (Winslow, Maine) added seven points and nabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Rensselaer’s Ashley Clough scored a game-high 22 points on 11 of 18 from the floor.
“We have a big test on Thursday, playing an athletic and experienced Bates team that will play the similar style we saw today,” Beaudoin said.
Farmington continues non-conference play on Thursday as the Beavers travel to Bates College at 7 p.m.
