FARMINGTON -- The University of Maine at Farmington women's basketball team rallied from a 12-point deficit to defeat the University of Maine at Presque Isle 54-47 at the Dunkin' Donuts Tip-Off Classic tonight at Dearborn Gymnasium.
In the first game, the University of Southern Maine rolled past the University of Maine at Fort Kent 83-48.
The classic continues Saturday with USM (1-1) vs. UMPI (0-2), 1 p.m., and UMF (1-1) vs. UMFK (0-3), 3 p.m.
UMF 54, UMPI 47
Lindsay Ranquist (Owls Head, Maine) scored 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds as the Beavers came back to knock off the Owls 54-47 in the second game.
UMF trailed 35-23 with 15:01 left in the second half before reeling off the game's next nine points to get back into the game with a Mallory Bonnevie (Jay, Maine) 3-pointer making it 35-32. The Owls pushed back to a seven-point lead, but the Beavers responded with a Ranquist three giving UMF a 43-41 lead with 4:24 to go.
After a pair of ties, Hannah Roy (Bath, Maine) canned a three to give UMF the lead for goood at 48-45 with 2:23 to play and the Beavers hit six of eight from the foul line down the stretch to scrape out the 54-47 victory.
Kelsey Graffam (Falmouth, Maine) also grabbed eight rebounds for the Beavers, while Emma Morrison (Saco, Maine) provided eight points and four assists and Rachel Clement (Gray, Maine) four assists. Paige Saunders (Surry, Maine) swatted a career-best seven shots in the victory with Emily Higgins (Saco, Maine) adding five blocks and Ranquist making four steals.
Rashell Saucier led all scorers with 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Owls, while Renee Moore (Lisbon, Maine) also posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Emily Pelletier (Fort Kent, Maine) handed out four assists.
Saucier tallied 19 of her game-high total in the opening half as UMPI amassed a 26-19 halftime advantage. The Beavers held an early 7-4 edge before the Owls ran off 10 straight points for a 14-7 lead with 9:45 left in the frame.
USM 83, UMFK 48
Nicole Garland (Portland, Maine) led four players in double figures with 13 points as the Huskies cruised to a win over the Bengals.
Garland was 4-for-8 from the field with two three-pointers to lead a well-balanced Husky attack. The 5-7 guard added four rebounds and two assists. Erin McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.), Haley Jordan (Falmouth, Maine) and Jordan Grant (Concord, N.H.) each added 10 points. Jordan added eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Stephanie Gallagher (York, Maine) added nine points, three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
Bengals' Jenn Colpitts (Scarborough, Maine) led all scorers with 20 points. Colpitts did a bulk of her scoring from the free throw line making 13-of-18 attempts. Ericka Christensen (Warren, Maine) and Taylor Boucher (Fort Kent, Maine) each added eight points.
Ahead 21-9 with 12:15 to play in the first half, Southern Maine used a 17-1 run over the next 3:37 to grab an overwhelming 39-10 lead with 7:38 remaining in the half. Jordan spearheaded the run for Southern Maine scoring eight of the Huskies' 17 points.
The Huskies took their largest lead of the game 49-12 on a lay-up from Courtney Cochran (Waite, Maine) with 3:52 to play. Cochran finished the game with seven points and six rebounds in limited minutes.T he Bengals closed the gap in the final two minutes of the half to trail 49-21 at the half.
In the second half, the Huskies remained in control and regained a more than comfortable 30-point advantage in the opening six minutes of the half, led by a pair of three-pointers from Garland.