Boxscore

FARMINGTON, Maine -- The University of Maine of Farmington claimed its first-ever conference postseason men's basketball tournament title with a 65-51 win over Castleton State College in the North Atlantic Conference Championship Game at Dearborn Gymnasium this afternoon.

With the win, the Beavers (14-11) receive the NAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. The announcement of the tournament field will be presented via Web cast on www.NCAA.com beginning at 10 a.m. Monday. The bracket will also be posted on www.NCAA.com at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Andrew Dean (Gorham, ME) netted 17 points, including five 3-pointers, for the Beavers, while Eric Taylor (Oakland, ME) posted a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds and Eric Lelansky (Portland, ME) chipped in 12 points and eight assists. Josh Tanguay (Gorham, ME), whose 25 points against Green Mountain helped the Beavers advance in the semifinals, was named the NAC Tournament MVP

In the second half, the Beavers shot 50 percent from the field (10-20), while limiting the Spartans to 28.6 percent (8-28). Headlined by a 7-for-9 effort by Taylor, Farmington was able to grind out closure on the victory at the foul line over the final two minutes.

Derick Faragon (Schenectady, NY) led Castleton with 12 points, while Mike Knight (Spring Valley, NY) and Jared Paul (Tampa, FL) each scored 10 points.

Dean scored 15 of his game-high total in the opening half as Farmington led by as many as 14 points. Dean hit four 3-pointers in the first 6:33 as the Beavers built a 19-8 lead.

Farmington held a 30-16 command with 7:39 until intermission, but the Spartans outscored the hosts 16-5 to close out the frame to cut the lead down to 35-32 at intermission. Faragon hit a pair of threes during the stretch.

DJ Gerrish (Rumford, ME) and Tanguay opened the second half with baskets to push the lead to 39-32. A Lelansky 3-pointer gave the Beavers a 49-38 lead with 12:30 to play. The Spartans did not allow the lead to balloon any further until the later stages of the game, but a pair of four-plus minute stretches in the second half without a hoop did not allow Castleton to make any gains.

The Beavers were eight of 12 from the charity stripe over the last 2:43, but Taylor went six for six in the final 1:30 as Farmington sealed up the NAC championship with a 65-51 victory. Box score

Tournament MVP
Josh Tanguay (Gorham, ME), Farmington
All-Tournament Team
Eric Taylor (Oakland, ME), Farmington
Greg Hughes (West Rutland, VT), Castleton
Mike Knight (Spring Valley, NY), Castleton
Jarrad DeVaughn (Brockton, MA), Thomas
Rui Carmo (Fort Meyers, FL), Green Mountain

Friday, Feb. 26

Farmington, Castleton to Play for NAC Men's Hoops Title

FARMINGTON, Maine -- The University of Maine of Farmington and Castleton State College advanced to the North Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Game with semifinal victories tonight at Dearborn Gymnasium.

The NAC title game is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Dearborn Gymnasium.
The top-seeded Beavers collected a 77-59 win over No. 5 Green Mountain College, while the No. 2 Spartans dispatched third-seeded Thomas College 82-65.

Farmington 77, Green Mountain 59

Boxscore

Josh Tanguay (Gorham, ME) scored 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while Eric Taylor (Oakland, ME) provided 22 points and eight rebounds as Farmington took the victory over the Eagles.

Eric Lelansky (Portland, ME) chipped in 14 points with six assists in the win.

Rui Carmo (Fort Meyers, FL) paced Green Mountain with 15 points and 19 boards with Gerard Johnson (Binghamton, NY) contributing 14 points and Trent Morgan (Streetsboro, OH) and Eddie Asieduo (Bronx, NY) chipping in 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Tanguay scored 14 points and Taylor added 10 points as the Beavers shot 55.9 percent (19-34) in the opening half. The Beavers reeled off the game's first 10 points and took a 40-20 command on a Tim Gingras (Winthrop, ME) jumper. Farmington took a 42-26 lead into intermission.

The Eagles clawed their way back in the game in the second half, knocking the Farmington lead down to 57-48 with 9:57, but Taylor tallied the game's next six points as the Beavers went on to the 77-69 win.

Castleton 82, Thomas 65

Boxscore

Mike Knight (Spring Valley, NY) shot 12 of 14 from the field for 24 points as the Spartans knocked off the Terriers.

Knight netted 18 of his game-high total in the second half to help Castleton maintain a double-digit advantage through most of the frame. Derrick Faragon (Schenectady, NY) added 16 points and eight rebounds with Mark Comstock (Rutland, VT) pitching in 14 points and Greg Hughes (West Rutland, VT) adding 11 points.

The Spartans connected on 56.4 percent (31-55) of its shots from the field, including 65.4 percent (17-26) in the second half.

Jarrad DeVaughn (Brockton, MA) led Thomas with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Francisco Alicea (Foxboro, MA) had 14 points and Isaiah Brathwaite (Farmington, ME) threw in 12 points and dished out seven assists.

Castleton rolled into the contest with a 17-6 stretch over the opening 7:22 of the game. Led by 10 points from Alicea, the Terriers picked away at the Spartan hold, cutting the lead to five points before Castleton took a 34-27 advantage into the break.

Knight scored six points in a 10-2 run out of intermission for the Spartans to distance themselves from Thomas. Castleton held off the Terriers with a double-digit cushion the rest of the way to take the 82-65 win.

Semifinals Set for NAC Men's Basketball Tournament

FARMINGTON -- The University of Maine at Farmington is scheduled to host the North Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Round Friday and Saturday at Dearborn Gymnasium.

The top-seeded Beavers (12-12) will face No. 5 Green Mountain College (9-16) in the NAC semifinals on Friday at 6 p.m. No. 2 Castleton State College (16-9) and No. 3 Thomas College (18-7) will follow in Friday's other semifinal at 8 p.m.

The semifinal winners will meet in the championship game Saturday at 2 p.m.

Farmington vs. Green Mountain

The Beavers -- hosts of the NAC tournament for the first time -- and the Eagles return to the NAC semifinals for the second straight season.

After opening the season 0-8, the Beavers have bounced back to collect 12 wins in 15 contests and the best regular-season record in the NAC.

Farmington has been led by the all-conference trio of Eric Lelansky (Portland, ME), Josh Tanguay (Gorham, ME) and Eric Taylor (Oakland, ME). Taylor leads the team in scoring average at 16.1 points per game with 8.0 boards, while Lelansky posts 13.1 ppg with 40.7 percent (57-140) accuracy from 3-point range and Tanguay adds 12.0 ppg with a team-best 9.3 rebounds per contest.

Green Mountain -- a 72-68 first-round winner over Husson -- is powered by NAC Player of the Year Rui Carmo. The senior averages an NCAA Division III best 25.4 ppg and 11.8 rpg. Trent Morgan (Streetsboro, OH) averages 13.5 ppg, while Gerard Johnson (Binghamton, NY) averages 9.7 ppg and 10.0 rpg with 94 assists.

The Beavers and Eagles split their regular-season meetings with Farmington rolling to 68-45 win at home on Jan. 30, but falling 63-61 in Vermont on Feb. 12. Green Mountain has demonstrated an ability for bouncing back from losses as the Eagles were beaten twice by Husson by 20 or more points in their two regular-season matchups before earning a quarterfinal win.

In Farmington, Tanguay collected 19 points and 13 boards and Taylor chipped in 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Beavers outscored Green Mountain 40-17 in the second half to take the 68-45 win.

The Beavers connected on 51.4 percent (18-35) of their shots from the field in the second half, while stifling the Eagles at 26.9 percent (7-26).

In Poultney, Vt., Carmo scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Green Mountain to the victory. Lelansky scored 21 points, including four 3-pointers in the loss.

Eddie Asieduo (Bronx, NY) hit a pair of free throws to put the Eagles ahead 62-58, but Lelansky hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead down to 62-61. After a Carmo free throw, Taylor's desperation heave went in, but after time expired as Green Mountain hung on for the victory.

Castleton vs. Thomas

After finishing 2-23 a year ago, Castleton is in the NAC semifinals with a matchup against last season's runner-up Thomas. The Terriers advanced to the championship round with an 86-73 first-round win over Johnson State College.

All-NAC First Teamer Derick Faragon (Schenectady, NY) paces the Spartans with 16.2 ppg followed by Mike Knight (Spring Valley, NY) at 10.7 ppg, Jared Paul (Tampa, FL) at 10.7 ppg and Mark Comstock (Rutland, VT) at 10.2 ppg. On the season,the Spartans knocked 47.3 percent of their field goals.

Thomas features five players scoring in double digits, led by the All-NAC Second Team duo of Andrew Duncanson (Portland, ME) and Jarrad DeVaughn (Brockton, MA). Duncanson -- the 2008-2009 NAC Player of the Year -- averages 18.2 ppg and the NAC Rookie of the Year DeVaughn nets 15.3 ppg. Isaiah Brathwaite (Farmington, ME) at 13.4 ppg, Francisco Alicea (Foxboro, MA) at 11.6 ppg and Darrell Alexander (Fairfield, TX) at 11.5 ppg help the Terriers to a nearly 80 ppg.

The Spartans swept a pair of games from the Terriers this season with a 69-59 win in Waterville on Jan. 30 and a 67-54 verdict in Vermont on Feb. 12. Castleton shot over 50 percent in both victories.

In Waterville, Faragon poured in 22 points with 12 rebounds, while Paul added 20 points in the victory as the Spartans used a 12-0 second-half run to grab the lead en route to the win.

Alicea threw in 17 points and hauled in nine rebounds for the Terriers with DeVaughn adding 12 points.

In Castleton, Vt., the Spartans scored the game's first seven points on their way to a wire-to-wire victory.

Faragon and Comstock each scored 14 points to pace Castleton, while Alicea provided 16 points and nine boards for Thomas.

February 23, 2010

Thomas Advances After Defeating Johnson St., 86-73

Box Score

Waterville, Maine- The Thomas College Terriers and the Lyndon St. Badgers opened the first round of the North Atlantic Conference Tournament at the Larry Mahaney Gymnasium at Thomas College. The first half was marked by sloppy play, good defense, and poor shooting on both ends of the floor, with the Terriers coughing up the ball 8 times and the Badgers turning it over 11 times. Thomas shot only 34% from the field, including going 2 for 8 from the behind the arc, while Johnson State made only 1 three out of 7 chances.

The only offensive highlights came from Badger Senior Leandro Martinez (Philadelphia, PA) who converted a number of flashy layups en route to 8 first half points to go along with 3 steals. Nate Dodge (Burlington, VT) led the Badgers with 9 first-half points, while Rob Key II (New Britain, CT) scored all of his points from the free-throw line, going 7 for 8. First-half high-scorer for the Terriers was Andrew Duncanson (Portland, ME) who had 8 points while Jarrad DeVaughn (Brockton, MA) and Darrell Alexander (Fairfield, TX) each scored 7 points of their own. The score at intermission was Johnson St. 34, Thomas College 33.

The second half saw plenty of turnovers by both teams as Thomas turned it over 6 more times to increase their game total to 14 as Johnson St. turned the ball over 8 times to bring their game total to 19. The difference was that the Terriers capitalized on the turnovers as they scored 29 points off the Badgers mistakes. The start of the first half was a back and forth battle as there were multiple lead changes. The Terriers were led by Duncanson in the second half as he finished the game with 24 points and 7 rebounds as he was high scorer for the game. Alexander was the second leading scorer for the Terriers as he finished with 17. The Badgers leading scorer was Martinez who finished with 21 points.

Thomas increased their shooting percentage from the first half as they shot 6-11 behind the arc and finished 8-19 as Johnson St. only went 4-15. Turnovers were the difference in the game and the pressure defense by Thomas. Thomas' next game will be against the Castleton St. Spartans at the University of Maine at Farmington this Friday, March 26 at 8 pm.

Febrary 23, 2010

Husson Upset by Green Mountain 68-72

Box Score

Bangor, ME - Husson University was upset by Green Mountain College 68-72 in the first round of North Atlantic Conference (NAC) tournament play.  With the win, the fifth seed Green Mountain Eagles will travel to the University of Maine at Farmington to face the host in the semifinals on Friday, February 26.  With the loss, the Husson University Eagles fall to 15-11 and 9-5 in the conference.

Green Mountain's Trent Morgan (Jr., Streetsboro, OH) was first to score with a three point shot.  Husson's Josh Jones (So., Jefferson, ME) tied the game with an early three of his own.  Green Mountain regained the lead when Gerald Kimbrough (Fy., Harlem, NY) hit a jumper.  Green Mountain would not relinquish their lead until Jay Uhrin (Jr., Winterport, ME) hit a jumper for Husson to bring the score to 22-21.  Husson ended the half with a three point lead at 33-30.

Rui Carmo (Sr., Fort Meyers, FL) led Green Mountain in the first half with 11 points and 9 rebounds, followed by Gerard Johnson (Jr., Binghamton, NY) with 11 rebounds, 5 points and 3 assists.  Jones led Husson with 15 points, shooting 8-11 from the floor while Uhrin tallied 8 points and 4 rebounds.

Husson and Green Mountain would trade leads numerous times throughout the second half.  Uhrin tied the game at 66 with one minute remaining in regulation.  Green Mountain's Eddie Asieduo (Sr., Bronx, NY) responded by hitting a pivotal three with 40 seconds remaining to give Green Mountain a three point lead at 66-69.  Husson's Jones hit a reverse layup to bring the Eagles within one of Green Mountain at 68-69.  Carmo was fouled at 20.8 and hit both of his shots to give the Green Mountain Eagles a 71-68 lead over Husson.  With 9.2 seconds left, Carmo sealed the 72-68 victory for Green Mountain by hitting one of two free throws.

Husson's Josh Jones contributed 22 points and 13 rebounds, while shooting 11-21 on the losing effort.  Uhrin netted 15 points, followed by Matt MacKenzie (Sr., Warren, ME) with 9 points.

Trent Morgan led Green Mountain with 20 points and 5 assists, followed by Carmo with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 4 steals.

February 20, 2010

Farmington Claims Top Seed in NAC Men's Basketball Championship

The University of Maine at Farmington has claimed the top seed in the upcoming North Atlantic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Beavers (12-11 overall, 12-2 NAC) earned the right to host the NAC semifinals and finals beginning next weekend, Friday, February 26. The top six teams qualify for the NAC Championship.

Castleton State College (16-9 overall, 10-4 NAC) finished regular season play as the second seed. The Spartans earned a first round bye and will play a semifinal game against an opponent to be determined at Farmington next Friday.

Thomas College and Husson University tied for third place with a 9-5 conference mark. Using predetermined tiebreakers, Thomas (17-7 overall, 9-5 NAC) will be the third seed and will host sixth seed Johnson State College (9-16 overall, 5-9 NAC) in a first round contest on Tuesday, February 23.

Fifth seed Green Mountain College (8-16 overall, 5-9 NAC) will travel to fourth seed Husson (15-10 overall, 9-5 NAC) for a first round contest on Tuesday. Game times to be determined.

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 23. As the top seed, Farmington will host both semifinal contests on Friday, February 26 at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. and the championship on Saturday, February 27 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.