Waterville, ME - Northern Vermont University-Lyndon has been seeded fourth in the East Division of the North Atlantic Conference. The Hornets will travel to top seed University of Maine at Farmington for a quarterfinal contest at 5:00 pm on Friday evening.
The Hornets and Beavers have played twice during the regular season, with UMF emerging victorious both times. In the first meeting, at Lyndon on December 3rd, the Beavers opened up a 14 point halftime advantage. Lyndon climbed back to within single digits with 14 minutes to go in the game, but UMF used a 20-3 run to put the game away and earn a 106-75 victory. Terion Moss led the Beavers with 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Mondwell Bukle (Pyeongtaek, South Korea) paced Lyndon with a career high 34 points.
The rematch took place on January 10th in Farmington. In that contest, Lyndon battled back from a 19-point deficit early in the second half to get within eight with just over eight minutes to go. The Beavers then used a quick 7-0 run to regain control and come away with a 100-78 win. Moss again led the way for UMF, finishing with 27 points and six steals. Bukle was top scorer for Lyndon with 17 points and six rebounds.
The winner of Friday's Lyndon-UMF matchup will advance to the semifinals and face the winner of Friday's other quarterfinal at Farmington between #2 Husson University and #3 University of Maine at Presque Isle. That game will be played at 2:00 pm on Saturday.
Two other quarterfinal contests will be played at SUNY Delhi on Friday. The host and top seeded Broncos and #4 seed Cazenovia College will tip off at 5:30 pm, with #2 SUNY Cobleskill and #3 SUNY Polytechnic Institute to follow in the nightcap. The winners of those games will play on Saturday in the semifinals.
The two teams who emerge from this weekend's quarterfinals and semifinals will play for the NAC Championship on Saturday, February 25th. The NAC champion will earn automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.
For full details for the 2023 NAC Men's Basketball Championship can be found HERE.
