FARMINGTON, Maine  –  Junior Chance Dixon (Lake Worth, Fla.) scored 21 points, knocking down 5-of-9 three-pointers, to lead four players in double figures as the University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the UMaine Farmington Beavers 86-77 in a non-conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at Dearborn Gymnasium.
 
Freshman Mark Asare (Roswell, Ga.) had 16 points and five assists off of the bench, while junior Simon Chadbourne (Westbrook, Maine) had 11 points, making 3-of-7 from three. Freshman Tommy Whelan (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) added 10 points, six rebounds and two assists.
 
The win snaps a five-game losing streak to the Beavers dating back to the 2017-2018 season. Southern Maine last faced UMF on November 20, 2021 and fell 91-73.   Prior to tonight's win, the Huskies last defeated the Beavers 93-65 on December 6, 2016. USM leads the series 73-27.
 
The Records:
Southern Maine (6-1)
UMaine Farmington (3-2)
 
 
How It Happened:

• Dixon scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half going 6-for-87 from the field (4-for-6 from three) as USM led UMF 44-30 at the break.  The Huskies shot 50.0 percent (14-for-28) from the field in the opening half, and were 9-for-16 from three (56.3 percent).  Asare had eight of his 16 in the first, while junior Clay Kuhn (Winter Park, Fla.) had seven.
• Holding a three-point lead 27-24 with 8:01 left in the first, the Huskies closed out the half outscoring the Beavers 17-6.  Asare had five points in the critical run.
• Southern Maine scored the first five points of the second half on a three from Dixon and a pair of free throws from senior Cody Hawes (Carmel, Maine/Hermon) to take its largest lead of the game, 49-30, with just under a minute off of the clock.
• The Huskies remained in front of the Huskies, and led by 10, 74-64, after an offensive rebound and a tip in from sophomore guard Juneau Anicette (Orlando, Fla.) with 4:29 to play.  The Beavers used a 7-2 mini-run to pull to within two possessions of Southern Maine 76-71 on a layup from Jack Kane with 2:08 to go.  However, Chadbourne countered with a three off of an assist from Hawes and USM closed out the game on the line for the 86-77 final.

 
Inside The Stats:

• Asare's 16 points are a career-high.  Just named the Maine Men's Basketball Coaches & Writers Association Rookie of the Week, Asare has scored 31 points in his last two games. 
• Hawes finished the game with eight points, a game and career-high 14 rebounds, and six assists.
• USM finished the game shooting 28-for-53 (52.8 percent) from the field and 51.9 percent (14-for-27) from three.  Dixon (5), Asare (4) and Chadbourne (3) paced the Huskies from beyond-the-arc.

 
Up Next:
The Huskies are back home on Saturday (2:00 pm) and host No. 14 Keene State College in their Little East Conference opener.