Box Score

WATERVILLE, Maine—The Husson Eagles overtook the Thomas College Terriers 73-60 behind 25 points from Tournament MVP Matt MacKenzie (Jr., Warren, ME) on Saturday afternoon and claimed the North Atlantic Conference Championship.

The first half of action was back and forth, featuring five ties and eleven different lead changes. However, the Eagles would outscore the Terriers 41-27 behind a 15-3 scoring run that would come very late in the second half. The Eagles’ defense would hold the Terriers to just 29% shooting on the afternoon, while the Eagles themselves would shoot 44.3% in the game.

MacKenzie led all scorers with his 25 points on 10-18 shooting from the field for Husson. He would also pull down 11 rebounds in the contest for the double-double. Jay Urhin (So., Winterport, ME) and Nick Perras (Sr., Lancaster, NH), who was named to the All-Tournament Team, would each contribute 13 points for the victorious Eagles.

Thomas was led by Andrew Duncanson (So., Portland, ME) who would tally 17 points on the afternoon, while also being named to the All-Tournament Team. Shawn Rodgers (Fr., Philadelphia, PA) would score 11 points and grab 11 rebounds for the Terriers, while teammate Isaiah Brathwaite (So., Farmington, ME) would also score 11 points.

The Eagles improved to 16-11 on the year and will look forward to the NCAA Division III Tournament, while Thomas ends their season with a 15-11 record.

Additionally, at the end of the Tournament players were announced for the All-Tournament Team. Representatives from each team included:

Rich Baily—Green Mountain College (Sr., Bronx, NY)
Eric Taylor—University of Maine at Farmington (So., Oakland, ME)
Andrew Duncanson—Thomas College (So., Portland, ME)
Michael Burchill—Thomas College (So., Saco, ME)
Nick Perras—Husson University (Sr., Lancaster, NH)
MVP: Matt MacKenzie—Husson University (Jr., Warren, ME)

Husson Advances to NAC Final with Tip-In Basket

Box Score

WATERVILLE, ME—A tip-in by Nick Perras (Sr., Lancaster, NH) as time expired gave Husson the slightest edge over University of Maine at Farmington in the second North Atlantic Conference Semifinal game played at Thomas College’s Larry Mahaney Gymnasium. The game was contested closely throughout with the largest lead being the Beavers’ eight point advantage they gained after jumping out to a 10-2 early lead. The Eagles would answer back quickly, however and then teams would continue to battle back and forth throughout the night. The game would feature nine ties and nine lead changes.

Husson University’s scoring attack was very balanced, with two players scoring double figures and three finishing the game with nine points. Matt Mackenzie (Jr., Warren, ME) led the way with his 19, while Perras was able to toss in 15 points in the victory. Blaine Meehan (Sr., Winterport, ME), Brock Bradford (Jr., Kenduskeag, ME), and Scott Kissinger (Sr., Islip Terrace, NY) each contributed nine points on the night.

The Beavers were led by Eric Taylor (So., Oakland, ME), who scored 22 points, including the team’s first eight, while also ripping down 10 rebounds in the contest. Eric Lelansky (Jr., Portland, ME) contributed 15 on 5-9 shooting, while Josh Tanguay (Jr., Gorham, ME) rounded out double figure scorers for the Beavers with 12 points. Tanguay would be the second Farmington player to tally a double-double with his game-high 11 rebounds.

Husson University will face off with Thomas College in the NAC Championship Saturday afternoon with a 2:00 p.m. tip time.

Thomas knockes off Green Mountain in NAC Men's Semifinals

Box Score

Waterville, ME—The North Atlantic Conference postseason basketball tournament kicked off Friday night with a Thomas College (Waterville, ME) victory over Green Mountain College (Pultney, VT). The Terriers entered the tournament as the #1 seed and Green Mountain was seeded #4. Thomas was able to overcome the Eagles of Green Mountain by the final score of 90-84.

Mike Burchill (Saco, ME) led the Terriers in scoring as he dropped 23 points on the Eagle defense, shooting 7-13 from behind the arch. Also in double figures for Thomas was North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year Andrew Duncanson (Portland, ME). Duncanson chipped in with 16 points of his own to go along with his game high four assists. Shawn Rodgers (Philadelphia, PA) pulled down a game high 15 rebounds in the Terrier victory and was one of five Thomas players with double digit scoring with 11. Junior captain Darrell Alexander (Fairfield, TX) had 13 for Thomas and freshman guard T.J. Pettus Jr. (Roxbury, MA) had 14 points off the Terrier bench.

For Green Mountain College, Rui Carmo (Cape Coral, FL) had a team high 21 points and 11 rebounds. Fabian Ferreira (Queens, NY) had 20 points of his own for the Eagles and Gerard Johnson (Binghamton, NY) chipped in with 18.

The Terriers will host Husson University in Waterville, ME on Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

Maine-Farmington Survies Rally from Maine Maritime to Advance in NAC First Round

Box Score

FARMINGTON, Maine -- The third-seeded University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team survived a second-half rally by No. 6 Maine Maritime Academy to take a 58-53 North Atlantic Conference quarterfinal victory over the Mariners tonight at Dearborn Gymnasium.

The Beavers (13-11) advance to take on No. 2 Husson University (14-11) in the semifinals at 8 p.m. on Friday at Thomas College. The Mariners ended their season at 9-17.

Eric Taylor (Oakland, ME) tallied 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Beavers, while Andrew Dean (Gorham, ME) chipped in 10 points.

The Beavers held a 35-22 advantage at intermission and expanded the lead to 44-28 with 13:19 left in the contest, but the Mariners responded with a 13-1 run to get back into the game. Maine Maritime slimmed the lead to 50-49 with 2:10 remaining in the contest, but a Taylor layup and a Ted Neil (Strong, ME) block on the following possession helped Farmington hold the command. Dean knocked down four of four free throws and DJ Gerrish (Rumford, ME) converted a pair of foul shots in the final 20 seconds to claim the victory.

Derek DiFrederico (Millinocket, ME) paced the Mariners with 15 points with Jake Manner (Frankfort, ME) adding 10 points.

Green Mountain Too Much for Johnson State

Box Score

The Green Mountain College Eagles used a 13 point first half lead to propel them to victory over Johnson State College (86-77) and a berth in the NAC semifinals. The Eagles limited to JSC to 27 first half points and 41.8% shooting for the game.

Despite trailing by 13 at the interval, the Badgers mounted a furious comeback bid dropping 50 second half points. Senior Bobby Shedd (Johnson, VT) led the charge netting 16 of his team-best 20 points in the second stanza while grabbing 9 boards, blocking 2 shots and forcing 2 turnovers. Junior Leandro Martinez (Philadelphia, PA) and Ian Passino (Peru, NY) each added 15 points.

The Eagles, who shot 50.9% on the night and 45.5% from beyond the arc, were led by junior Rui Carmo (Fort Meyers, FL) who scored 20 points, grabbed 11 boards, recorded 2 assists and swatted a pair of shots. Rich Bailey (Bronx, NY) added 18 points on 5-6 shooting from the field and 8-9 from the charity stripe to go along with 6 assists. Senior Scott McGuiness (Middletown, CT) added 11 points on 3-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Eagles advance to the semifinals of the NAC tournament where they will face #1 seed Thomas College on Saturday at 6 pm.

February 22, 2009

Thomas Claims Top Seed in NAC Men’s Basketball Championship

Finishing with a five straight conference wins, Thomas College has earned the top seed in the upcoming North Atlantic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament following completion of regular season conference play. The top six teams qualify for the NAC Championship. The Terriers, who finished 11-3 in conference play (14-10 overall) and tied atop the NAC standings with in-state rival Husson (14-11 overall, 11-3 NAC), earns the top seed through pre-determined tiebreakers. Thomas will host the NAC semifinals and finals next weekend beginning Friday, February 27. Husson will be the tournament’s second seed. Both teams will receive a first round bye in the tournament.

Maine-Farmington (12-11 overall, 10-4 NAC) earned the third seed and will host sixth seed Maine Maritime (9-16 overall, 5-9) in a first round contest on Tuesday, February 24. The Beavers and Mariners split during the regular season with each team winning at home.

In their first season with the conference, Green Mountain secured the fourth seed in the tournament. The Eagles (15-10 overall, 7-7 NAC) will host Johnson State (12-13 overall, 6-8 NAC) in first round action on Tuesday. The two squads split two tight contests each earning victories on the road.

Predetermined tiebreaking procedures were used to seed teams with identical conference winning percentages. First round games will be played at the higher seed on Tuesday, February 24. As the top seed, Thomas will host both semifinal contests on Friday, February 27 at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. and the championship on Saturday, February 28 at 2:00 p.m. for the NAC title. Game times are subject to change. The NAC Champion receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championship.