GORHAM, Maine – Senior
Jacobe Thomas (Houston, Texas/Benjamin O. Davis) notched his second double-double of the season with 28 points and 17 rebounds to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to an 81-68 win over the UMaine Presque Isle Owls Friday night at Hill Gymnasium.
Playing in the first game of the USM Tip Off Invitational, Southern Maine advances to play Lehman in the championship game on Saturday (3:00 pm). Lehman rallied from a double-digit deficit in game two to defeat Regis (Mass.) 62-57.
The Records:
UMaine Presque Isle (1-2)
Southern Maine (2-1)
Series History: Meeting for just the 13th time, USM now leads the series 11-2. The Huskies last faced the Owls on November 17, 2018, and came away with a 79-58 win.
Standout Huskies: Thomas: 28 points (11-for-22 field goals), 17 rebounds; sophomore
Trevor Ward (West Park, Fla./MaArthur), 15 points (5-for-8 field goals); junior
Marcus Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine), 10 points, six rebounds.
Standout Owls: Senior Griffin Guerrette (Presque Isle, Maine), 22 points five rebounds, two assists, two steals; sophomore Gilbert Jean Mendez (Clearwater, Fla.), 18 points, six rebounds.
How It Happened:
- In an up and down first half, Southern Maine trailed UMPI 20-10 with 11:39 to play following a three from UMPI senior Glen Jones (Stamford, Conn.). USM rallied with a 19-3 run over the next seven minutes to lead 29-23 (3:11), but then let UMPI storm back with a 10-3 run to close out the half for a 33-32 UMPI lead at the break. Thomas led USM with 10 points and nine rebounds at the half.
- The Owls led by five 43-38 three minutes into the second half as senior Parker Onorato (Bath, Maine) scored all 10 of his team's points as part of a 10-6 opening spurt. However, USM responded with an 8-0 run to take the lead for good 46-43 with 13:54 to go. Ward had four of his 15 in the decisive run.
- A traditional three-point play from the Owls' Guerrette tied the game up at 57 with 10:20 remaining, but the Huskies seized control with a 10-0 run. Four different players scored in the run for USM led by four from Ward for a 67-57 Husky lead with 7:01 to play.
- From there, UMPI never got closer than two possessions as USM held for the win.
Inside the Stats:
- Thomas' 17 rebounds establishes a new career-high for the Huskies' 6-3 guard.
- USM outrebounded UMPI 48-31, including 14-8 on the offensive glass. Thomas had five offensive boards as did junior Cody Hawes (Carmel, Maine/Hermon). Hawes had 11 rebounds in the game.
- USM shot an outstanding 64.5 percent (20-for-31) in the second half.
- The Huskies dominated the points in the paint 48-20.
Up Next:
Southern Maine will face Lehman 3:00 pm on Saturday in the championship game of the USM Tip Off Tournament. UMaine Presque Isle will play Regis at 1:00 pm.
Southern Maine Athletics has gone to fully digital game programs, please click this link to access the game programs to future Husky home events!
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