NAC Men's Basketball Quarterfinal Recap: Delhi, Johnson, Husson & Farmington Advance

2/21/2025 10:18:25 PM

NAC EAST DIVISION QUARTERFINAL #1: HUSSON PULLS AWAY LATE TO DEFEAT #4 MAINE MARITIME, 91-71

BANGOR, Maine – Top-seeded Husson University (19-7) defeated Maine Maritime Academy 91-71 in a North Atlantic Conference quarterfinal at William P. Newman Gymnasium on Friday night. With the win, the Eagles advance to the NAC East Division Championship, while Maine Maritime ends its season at 13-11, marking its best record in two decades.

Husson will host #3 UMaine-Farmington in the NAC Men’s Basketball East Division title bout at 2:00 PM Saturday. Farmington advanced after a double-overtime upset over No. 2 UMaine-Presque Isle.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The opening minutes featured five lead changes, with freshman Gabe Hagar (12 points) giving MMA its final lead at 11-10 with 14:45 remaining in the opening frame. Jeremy Moronta, who finished with a game-high 29 points, answered with a layup two possessions later, putting Husson ahead 14-13—a lead they would not relinquish.

Husson extended its lead to 38-28 at the 4:42 mark, then closed the half on a 10-6 run to take a 48-34 advantage into the break.

Maine Maritime cut the deficit to eight midway through the second half, but Husson responded, stretching the lead to 18 before cruising to the finish. The Eagles led by as many as 25 in the closing minutes.

STAT LEADERS:
Husson:

Jeremy Moronta: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6-9 FG in the first half
Riles Neff: 17 points
Connor Heald: 13 points
Scott Lewis: 11 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds
Gil Matondo: 10 points
Tope Alao: 9 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks
Team Stats: 48.6% FG, 26 assists on 34 made field goals, 16-5 edge in points off turnovers

Maine Maritime:

Curt Heinz: 25 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks
Jack Banks: 18 points (off the bench)
Gabe Hagar: 12 points
Josiah Dancy: 6 assists
Team Stats: 5-9 FT, 14 turnovers, outscored 16-5 on points off turnovers

NAC EAST DIVISION QUARTERFINAL #2: #3 UMAINE-FARMINGTON OUTLASTS #2 UMAINE-PRESQUE ISLE IN 2OT THRILLER, 79-78

BANGOR, Maine – In an instant classic, UMaine-Farmington (13-12) battled through two overtime periods to defeat UMaine-Presque Isle(20-6), 79-78, in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Tournament quarterfinal at William P. Newman Gymnasium on the campus of Husson University on Friday night.

With the win, UMaine-Farmington advances to the next round of the NAC Tournament and will take on pod-host Husson in the East Division Championship tomorrow at 2:00 PM. With the setback, UMaine-Presque Isle sees its historic season come to a heartbreaking end.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The game featured nine ties and 16 lead changes, with neither team backing down in a contest filled with plenty of back and forth action.UMaine-Farmington started strong, taking a 29-22 lead at the break with the help of 12 points from senior forward Dylan Griffin.

However, UMaine-Presque Isle fought back in the second half. Gilbert Jean Mendez, who tallied 12 points and nine rebounds in the latter stanza, fueled the Owls' offense, which outscored UMF 38-31 in the second period, tying the game at 60-60 as regulation expired.

The conference counterparts struggled to create separation in the first overtime, as the familiar foes essentially swapped scores before capping the five-minute extra frame with the score still deadlocked, 71-71.

Trailing 73-71 after UMF’s Jason Reynolds made two free throws early in the second OT frame, the Owls gained some separation with a 7-0 run, which included five points from Dwaine Williams and lifted UMPI to a 78-73 advantage with 2:19 left. The five-point cushion was the largest lead held by either team since the Beavers claimed a six-point (56-50) advantage with 2:35 left in regulation.

Undeterred, the UMF defense pitched a shutout for the rest of the game while Gabe Michaud converted a traditional three-point play to make it a 78-77 game with 1:24 on the clock and Griffin hit a layup with two seconds left to give his team a 79-78 edge. The Owls’ last chance at victory was a last-second heave from three-quarters court, one that fell short as the Beavers celebrated the hard-fought triumph.

STAT LEADERS:
UMaine-Farmington

Dylan Griffin: 26 points, 6 rebounds, 10/16 FT
Zach McLaughlin: 19 points, 2 rebounds
Jordan Anthony: 13 points, 7 rebounds
Team Stats: 26/68 FG (38%), 7/28 3PT (25%), 20/27 FT (74%), 45 REB, 10 AST

UMaine-Presque Isle (78 points, 20-6 record)

Gilbert Jean Mendez: 23 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists
Dwaine Williams: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 three-pointers
Akhe McMichael: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists
Team Stats: 25/73 FG (34%), 10/40 3PT (25%), 18/26 FT (69%), 45 REB, 14 AST

NAC WEST DIVISION QUARTERFINAL #1: #1 SUNY-DELHI DEFEATS #4 LESLEY UNIVERSITY, 75-59

DELHI, N.Y. – No. 1 SUNY Delhi (11-14) secured a 75-59 victory over No. 4 Lesley University (5-20) in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) quarterfinal action Friday evening at Floyd L. Maines Arena. With the win, the Broncos advance to the NAC West Division Championship, where they will host No. 2 VTSU-Johnson (10-16) on Saturday at 2:00 PM. The Badgers earned their spot with a dominant 95-72 win over No. 3 VTSU-Lyndon in other quarterfinal action this evening.

For Lesley, the loss signals the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The game opened as a tight battle, with Lesley taking a brief 12-11 lead following a CJ Leonard layup at the 13:02 mark. However, SUNY Delhi quickly seized momentum with a decisive 13-0 run, fueled by seven points from Lester McCarthy, to jump ahead 24-12.

The Broncos continued to control the pace, maintaining a 27-18 lead with 6:14 left in the first half before breaking the game open with a dominant 17-4 surge. By halftime, Delhi had built a commanding 44-22 advantage.

SUNY Delhi held at least a 20-point cushion for much of the second half, leading 60-39 after an Isaiah Barnes jumper with 11:03 remaining. Lesley made a late push, using a 16-7 run—powered by 11 points from Tarell Joseph—to cut the deficit to 12 (67-55) with just over five minutes to play. However, the Broncos responded by outscoring the Lynx 8-4 down the stretch to seal the win.

STAT LEADERS:
SUNY Delhi:

Gustarling Louis – 16 points, 11 rebounds (double-double)
Brennan Heaven – 14 points, 3 assists
Lester McCarthy – 14 points, 6 steals
Isaiah Barnes – 10 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals

Lesley:

Tavon Rhodes – 17 points, 6 rebounds
Tarell Joseph – 16 points, 5 rebounds
Malachi Howard – 14 points, 9 rebounds

NAC WEST DIVISION QUARTERFINAL #2: BAKER DROPS 55 POINTS TO LIFT #2 JOHNSON PAST #3 LYNDON, 95-72

DELHI, N.Y. – Junior forward Jason Baker delivered a historic 55-point performance to lead No. 2 VTSU-Johnson (10-16) past No. 3 VTSU-Lyndon (8-18) in a dominant 95-72 victory in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) quarterfinals Friday night at Floyd L. Maines Arena. With the win, the Badgers advance to the NAC West Division Championship, where they will face top-seeded SUNY Delhi (11-14) – on their home court - on Saturday at 2:00 PM. The Broncos earned their spot with a 75-59 victory over Lesley University in the other quarterfinal matchup.

For VTSU-Lyndon, the loss brings an end to the 2024-25 campaign.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Johnson wasted no time setting the tone, opening the game on a blistering 10-0 run and extending the lead to 17-2 after a Ramond Baka layup at the 15:05 mark.

Lyndon, however, refused to go quietly. Trailing 26-16, the Hornets responded with a 13-2 surge to cut the deficit to one (30-29) with 6:41 left in the half. A Tyler Cooper three-pointer moments later tied the game at 32-32, but Johnson countered with a 10-3 run to take a 46-41 lead into the break.

The second half remained competitive, with Lyndon staying within single digits for the first nine minutes. Johnson finally gained separation when Baker sank a pair of free throws to push the lead to 69-58 at the 10:16 mark. The Badgers put the game out of reach with a late 10-0 run, stretching their lead to a game-high 24 points (93-69) with just 1:24 remaining.

STAT LEADERS:
VTSU-Johnson:

Jason Baker – 55 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 19-28 from the floor, 12-15 from the FT line
Raymond Baka – 16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists
Matthew Carter – 8 points, 9 rebounds
Eli Wilson – 8 points, 3 rebounds

VTSU-Lyndon:

Tyler Cooper – 16 points, 2 assists
Tyler Bergmans – 14 points, 4 rebounds
Victor Kukta Reyes – 13 points, 4 rebounds
Deshawn Ford – 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists