WATERVILLE – The University of Maine at Farmington basketball team fell to Thomas College in their first North Atlantic Conference (NAC) matchup of the New Year by a score of 67-57, Tuesday night in Larry Mahaney Gymnasium.
The Beavers fall to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in the NAC. The Terriers move to 5-6 overall and 2-2 in conference play with their win tonight.
Amira Jones netted eight points in the first five minutes of play to push the Terriers to an early 10-2 lead. The Beavers clawed their way back to within two on a 10-0 run in the final minutes of the first quarter. Two baskets from Abby Hasson and three-pointers from Cheyenne Malloy and Jenessa Talarico put UMF within striking distance. The Terriers added a late bucket from Jordan Turner for a 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
After a 5-0 Terrier run to opened the second, Courtney Alofs finished two straight layups to bring the Beavers back within three. The Beavers held the Terriers scoreless in the final 3:53 of the second and added seven points of their own to enter the break with a 30-27 lead.
After exchanging the lead late in the third quarter, Emma Duggan knocked down a three to put the Beavers ahead 41-39. Freshman Karli Stubbs put the Terriers back on top with a three and a layup of her own.
Kennadi Grover kept UMF in the game in the middle of the final quarter with three points to bring the score to 51-49. Thomas began to pull away as a 10-0 run stunned the Beavers enough to put the game out of reach. Turner knocked down her free throws in the final seconds to preserve the 67-57 victory.
Jones and Turner led all scorers with 16 points while Stubbs chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds.
Grover finished with 13 points and two rebounds while Talarico added nine points and four assists for the Beavers.
