GORHAM, Maine – Senior guard Alex Kee scored a team-high 17 points to lead three players in double figures as the University of Southern Maine Huskies overcame a slow start to defeat the University of Maine at Farmington, 69-52, in a non-conference men's basketball game Tuesday night at Hill Gymnasium.
The loss snaps UMaine-Farmington's four-game winning streak as the Beavers fall to 7-2 overall. Southern Maine won its third straight outing, improving to 6-2 overall.
Each team shot 31 percent from the field in the first half, but it was Southern Maine who held a comfortable 30-21 lead at the break thanks to a quick-hitting 7-0 run to close out the final minute of action in the opening stanza. Ahead 23-21, following a layup from UMF junior forward Andrew Dickey (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth), the Huskies rattled off three consecutive baskets for the nine-point halftime advantage.
The Beavers opened the second half on a 4-0 mini-run on consecutive hoops from junior center Ben Johnson (Manchester, Maine/Maranacook) to trim their deficit to five, 30-25, but the Huskies responded with back-to-back three-pointers for a 36-25 lead with just under 18 minutes to play.
The Huskies kept the Beavers at a distance over the next six minutes and the closest UMaine-Farmington would get the rest of the way was seven, 43-26, with 12:10 to play on a layup from Johnson. The Beavers made it a three-possession game with 1:41 to play, 59-50, on a three from junior forward Garrett Clemmer (Windham, Maine/Windham), but the Huskies sealed the win with a 10-2 run over the final minutes of play for the 69-52 final.
Southern Maine shot 50 percent from the field in the second half on its way to a .397 shooting percentage (25-of-63) for the game, while UMaine-Farmington was held to .347 (17-of-49) from the floor – the fewest number of field goals made and lowest shooting percentage by the Beavers this season.
Johnson led all scorers with a game-high 19 points for the Beavers. He added seven rebounds and was 7-for-14 from the field. Dickey tossed in 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting and Clemmer added 12 points. Junior forward Nate Carson (Orrington, Maine/Brewer) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Alex Kee paced Southern Maine with a team-high 17 points. Brandon Tomah added 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Sean Bergeron chipped in with 10 points off of the bench. Senior guard Mike Poulin had a career-high seven assists along with five points, four rebounds and two steals.
UMaine-Farmington is off for exams and winter break, and returns to action on Friday, January 4 at Johnson State. Southern Maine hosts Westfield State on Saturday, Dec. 15, in a non-conference game.
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