Owls lose lead,
St. Joseph wins national tourney
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — The University of Maine at Presque Isle held a lead for most of their first-ever appearance in the USCAA National Tournament, but could not hold off the College of St. Joseph (Vt.) as their furious comeback ended with a 75-71 victory for the Fighting Saints.
After a three-point shot put the Fighting Saints up early in the matchup, the Owls went on an 11-3 run to take control of the game early. UMPI held the lead for the rest of the first half and pulled away in the last five minutes, taking an 11-point lead into halftime. Kevin Collins had the hot hand in the early going, scoring 20 points in the first half on 9-of-12 shooting.
The Owls continued to stretch their lead to start the second half, and with 14 minutes to go, they took a 19-point advantage. A quick seven points would reinvigorate the College of St. Joseph’s amd they turned up the defensive pressure from that point on. The fullcourt press suddenly perplexed the Owls, as they ended up with 16 turnovers in the second half.
Still down 13 with 5:30 to play, the Fighting Saints went on a 9-0 run to close the gap. UMPI senior Chase Vicaire hit a layup and then a three-point shot on consecutive possessions with just over three minutes remaining, but it wouldn’t be enough. UMPI didn’t hit another field goal the rest of the game.
St. Joseph’s Antonio Gordon nailed a three to tie the game with 1:49 remaining and hit another one with 25 seconds to go to put the Fighting Saints up by five. The Owls struggled to get an open look and the Fighting Saints completed the comeback to take the four-point victory.
Gordon led the offensive attack for the College of Saint Joseph’s, scoring 29 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Travis Threewitts added 12 points for the winners.
Collins ended the night with 25 points. Brandon McGill scored 13 points and collected 12 rebounds, while Vicaire also recorded a double-double, tallying 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Owls played Central Maine Community College in a consolation game Thursday and lost, 91-73. CMCC led by 15 points at the half and never looked back, with Pietro Badalassi scoring 25 points and hauling in 14 rebounds in a dominating effort. Carrington Miller had 19 and Rob Skinner 16 for the winners.
Collins had a team-high 16 points and Vicaire finished his collegiate career with 15 points. Derek Healy came off the bench to toss in 10 points. UMPI finished the season with an overall record of 13-13.
