PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Playing on their home floor failed to produce any victories for the University of Maine at Presque Isle basketball teams recently.
The UMPI women are now 5-10 overall after losing to SUNY-Canton in league games both Friday and Saturday and then falling to Bowdoin College Monday afternoon, with all three games played at Wieden Gymnasium.
Coach Gavin Kane’s Owls have now lost six consecutive games since the beginning of the new year.
On Friday against SUNY-Canton, the game was tied at halftime before the Roos opened the third quarter with 12 unanswered points to win, 53-40. Rhylee Wright had 12 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Owls, while Hunter Mercier added nine points and seven boards.
In the Saturday afternoon contest, the Roos picked up a 75-63 victory. Mercier posted a career-high 21 points, with Wright and Sara Mussleman netting 18 and 13, respectively, in the loss.
UMPI was outmatched by the No. 1-ranked team in NCAA Div. III on Monday, falling to the Bowdoin Polar Bears, 102-44. Presque Isle High School graduate Hannah Graham tied for the team lead in points with 15 for Bowdoin. UMPI’s Emmy Churchill and Mercier combined to make seven 3-point field goals and finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The UMPI men’s squad stands at 6-9 overall and lost four in a row after dropping close games to SUNY-Canton on Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, the visiting Roos came through with a 68-64 triumph by scoring the final five points of the game over the final 2:22. Shyquinn Dix posted 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Griffin Guerrette tossed in 13 points and Jahvion Lockridge contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.
UMPI lost in overtime the following afternoon, 78-75. Dix was credited with a 3-point field goal following a goaltending call on the Roos with five seconds left in regulation, tying the game and sending it into overtime. The Owls had leads on two occasions in the extra session, but SUNY-Canton went ahead with just over a minute left and held on.
Dix finished with 34 points, six rebounds and four assists for UMPI, while Te’Von Hines contributed 11 points and nine boards.
The UMPI squads play Thomas College in Waterville Wednesday. The men’s game is at 5:30 p.m., followed by the women’s contest at 7:30 p.m.
