Lyndonville, VT - The University of Maine at Farmington broke open a close game with Northern Vermont University-Lyndon in the final eight minutes of the first half. The visiting Beavers used the burst to pick up a 106-85 North Atlantic Conference men's basketball victory over the Hornets. UMF improves to 10-5 overall and 6-2 in NAC play, while Lyndon falls to 4-12 on the season and 1-5 in conference.
The two teams battled on even terms through the early portion of the first half. Lyndon's Tyrese Harris (Fort Benning, GA) connected on a three-pointer to give the Hornets a 23-22 lead with 9:11 to go in the opening half. Less than a minute later, UMF's Jack Kane converted a lob for a dunk, putting the Beavers back in front. UMF would never look back, as they outscored Lyndon 38-9 over the final 8:26 of the half to take a 28-point lead into halftime.
The Hornets fought back several times in the second half, getting to within 65-49 following a Harris layup with 14:41 to go. That would be as close as things would get, however, as the Beavers kept the Hornets at bay the remainder of the game.
The 6'9" Kane had a huge game on the interior to lead UMF. He converted 13 of 15 shots on the way to a 27 point, 16 rebound night. Drew Storey came off the bench for 20 points while Terion Moss and Nathan Poulin added 17 points apiece.
Mondwell Bukle (Pyeongtaek, South Korea) scored 24 points to pace the Hornets. Zach Falkenburg (Bridgeport, NY) finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Antonio Carlisle (St. Johnsbury, VT) and Harris added 14 and 11 points respectively.
The Beavers converted 41 of 71 shots (55.4%), including 6 of 18 from behind the three-point arc. The Hornets connected on 30 of 78 attempts (38.5%), including 16 of 42 (38.1%) from distance. UMF held a 48-37 advantage on the glass. Both teams took good care of the ball, as Lyndon finished with only eight turnovers and UMF committed only nine giveaways.
The Hornets will return to action on Wednesday evening when they host SUNY Cobleskill in a NAC crossover contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 pm.
