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GORHAM, Maine -- Seniors Corteze Isaac (Germantown, Md./Northwest) and Otis Smith (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Ocoee) combined for 45 points to lead the University of Southern Maine to an 86-74 win over the University of Maine Farmington in a non-conference men's basketball game Thursday night at the Warren Hill Gymnasium.
With the win, the Huskies improved to 6-2 overall. The Beavers suffered their fourth straight defeat to fall to 1-5 on the season.
Isaac had a game-high 25 points to pace the Huskies, including a 4-for-5 effort from three-point range. Smith was a force in the paint with 20 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard Mike Poulin (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook) added 14 points, two assists and two steals while senior guard Devin Chambers (Memphis, Tenn./Oak Hill Academy) chipped in with 11 points and three steals.
Freshman guard Pet Sumner (Cramerton, N.C.) led the Beavers with 17 points on a 6-for-12 shooting effort from the field. Senior guard Andrew Dean (Gorham, Maine) and senior forward Eric Taylor (Oakland, Maine) each had 16 points. Junior forward Tim Gingras (Winthrop, Maine) added 13 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Despite jumping out to an early 10-2 lead, the Huskies headed into the locker room trailing the Beavers, 33-32, at halftime. After Chambers' open court steal and layup with 13:32 to play in the half, it looked as though the Huskies were in control of the game. But UMaine Farmington battled back over the next six minutes with a 17-4 run to take a 19-14 lead with 7:19 to play. Sumner was instrumental in the UMF run, scoring eight of his 17 points.
The teams battled back and forth with the lead switching hands twice and the score pulling even four times in the final minutes of play. The Beavers gained the upper hand when Dean drilled one of his three three-pointers in the game with 45 seconds to play. Chambers closed out the half sinking a pair of free throws for the Huskies, leaving the Beavers with a one-point advantage.
In the second half, the teams again exchanged blows and the score was knotted up at 40-40 following a three from Isaac with 17:52 to play. The Huskies were able to pull away from the Beavers over the next four minutes using a decisive 13-3 run to lead 53-43 with 14:13 to play. Five different players scored in the run for Southern Maine, led by four points from Poulin.
UMaine Farmington trimmed the USM lead to eight points 10 times over the remainder of the half, and even pulled to within six on a three-point play from Taylor with 4:33 to play, but the Huskies were able to maintain their advantage down the stretch for the 86-74 final.
Southern Maine finished the game shooting 47.5 percent (28-for-59) from the field and 78.8 percent (26-for-33) from the free throw line. UMF shot 40.3 percent (25-for-62) from the floor.
Southern Maine travels to Keene State College on Saturday (3:00 p.m.) for a Little East Conference tilt. UMaine Farmington hosts the University of New England on Saturday (3:00 p.m.).
-cac-
