GORHAM, Maine – Sophomore
Brady Saunders (Brewer, Maine) was lights out from the field scoring a career-high 39 points to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a high-scoring 100-96 win over the UMaine Presque Isle Owls in a non-conference men's basketball game Friday night at Hill Gymnasium.
Saunders went 14-for-16 from the floor, including a perfect 7-for-7 from three, to lead four Huskies in double figures. Junior
Thomas Whelan (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) had 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while graduate student
Bryce Lausier (Glenburn, ME Hampden Academy) and junior
Diego Colon (New Braunfels, Texas) each had 16 points.
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The Records:
UMaine Presque Isle (0-1)
Southern Maine (1-0)
Today's game marked the 16th game in the series between University of Southern Maine and UMaine Presque Isle. Southern Maine leads the series 14-2. The Huskies last faced the Owls on November 18, 2023, earning an 87-83 win. Southern Maine has won 10 straight over the Owls.
How It Happened:
- The Huskies started off hot scoring the first nine points of the game. Colon hit a three for the first bucket of the game, and Whelan had four points in the first two minutes. However after a UMPI timeout the game settled into a back-and-forth affair.
- Two free throws from Whelan had USM up 17-11 with 13:19 to play, before the Owls stormed back with a 9-2 run to lead 20-19 over the next two minutes. Now trailing by one, USM responded with a 12-2 run led by five points from Saunders to go-ahead 31-22 with 7:44 until halftime break.
- UMPI owned the next three and a half minutes and surged ahead 35-33 outscoring the Huskies 13-2 capped by a three from Gilbert Jean Mendez. Both teams traded buckets after the Owls' surge, and Whelan had USM up 38-37 with just over three minutes to play until the break, but UMPI closed out the half on fire going 6-for-6 from the field for an 18-6 run. Akhe Mcmichael led the way with 12 points for a 55-44 halftime lead for the Owls.
- USM opened the second half outscoring UMPI 16-7 in the first five minute to trail by a bucket, 62-60, to get back in the game with 15:29 to play. Saunders scored the first 11 points of the run, while Lausier had the final five.
- The Owls remained in front and led 70-65 with 12:35 to play before USM used a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to take the lead for good 78-72. With the score tied at 72-72 with 10:00 on the clock, Whelan scored six straight on three consecutive driving layups to put his team in front with 8:10 to go
- Both teams battled back and forth for the next several minutes, and the Owls pulled to within one point of the Huskies six times over the next seven minutes. A layup from UMPI's James Yamashita made it 92-91 in favor of the Huskies with 1:38 to play, but Saunders answered with back-to-back buckets for a 96-91 lead, and USM closed the game out for the 100-96 final.
Inside The Stats:
- Southern Maine shots 55.4 percent from the field for the game (36-for-65) and 47.6 percent (10-for-21) from three. The Owls shot a remarkable 64.7 percent (22-for-34) in the first half.
- The Huskies led in rebounding 39-33. Lausier had a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds, while Colon added seven.
Up Next:
Southern Maine is on the road for its next three contests and travels to nearby University of New England on Wednesday (7:30 pm). The Huskies then face Nichols College on Saturday, November 16 (1:00 pm), and UMaine Farmington on Wednesday (7:00 pm). The Huskies will host Bates College on Tuesday, November 26 (7:30 pm).
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