FARMINGTON, Maine -- University of Maine at Farmington (1-9, 1-3) freshman Anfernee Dent (Jackson, Miss./Daegu) tallied 19 points to set a new career-high in his young career as the Beavers earned a 76-66 North Atlantic Conference win over Thomas College (5-6, 1-3) on Tuesday evening.
Dent shot 6-of-10 from the floor and nailed three shots from long range. He also sank four trips to the free throw line and recorded a pair of rebounds and steals. Three starters also scored in double figures for the Beavers with Nick Hilton (Wilton, Maine/Mt. Blue) adding 15 points and five rebounds. Sean Murphy (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) charted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Logan Nichols (Minot, Maine/Poland) had a big game with 10 points, dished three assists, and recorded a steal.
Mike Akanji led the way for the Terriers with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting with five shots coming from three-point land. Levi Barnes added 14 points and made all four shots from the charity stripe.
The battle was back-and-forth for nearly the entire game with 13 lead changes and three ties. Thomas held a slim 27-24 lead at halftime, but UMF came out firing on all cylinders in the second half wiped away an early seven-point deficit. The squad shot 59.4% (19-32) in the final period and was nearly perfect from three-point range (7-8). The Beavers' defense was causing pressure all night long by forcing 20 Terrier turnovers.
UMaine-Farmington looks to keep the momentum going on Friday with a visit from conference foe Johnson State.