WATERVILLE, Maine – UMaine-Farmington (21-5) and UMaine-Presque Isle (15-12) will square off in the 2026 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Men’s Basketball Championship in Dearborn Gymnasium in Farmington, Maine, on Saturday, February 28 at 1:00 PM.

Road To the Championship Game
The Beavers earned the No. 1 seed in the 2026 Men’s Basketball Tournament after posting a near perfect 17-1 conference record. After a first-round bye, UMaine-Farmington hosted No. 5 SUNY Cobleskill in the semifinals and delivered a dominant 94-63 victory. The Beavers are now seeking their second NAC Men’s Basketball title, first since 2010. Their most recent trip to the championship was in 2023 when they fell short against SUNY Delhi. Other trips to the championship were in 2006, 2014, and 2020. Farmington is currently on a eight-game winning streak and have recorded their highest win total in the past five years.

The Owls advance to their first-ever NAC Men’s Basketball Championship game since joining the conference in 2018 and will look to capture the program’s first NAC title. In doing so, men’s basketball becomes the first UMPI program to reach a NAC championship game — a historic milestone for the department and an opportunity to secure the institution’s first-ever conference team title. Entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed, UMaine-Presque Isle opened with an 88-79 win over No. 6 Thomas College in the first round. They then stunned No. 2 Husson University with a 78-74 overtime victory in the semifinals to punch their ticket to the championship game. The Owls are on a six-game winning streak.

Regular Season Matchups
The two teams first met this season on December 12, where UMaine-Farmington cruised to an 87-49 victory over the Owls. Zach McLaughlin tallied 20 points and two assists, while going 8-17 from the floor and 4-8 from three-point range. Jason Reynolds delivered a strong double-double performance, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two assists. He shot an efficient 7-for-10 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. For the Owls, Tyson Enget led the team with 12 points, adding four assists and three rebounds. He was flawless offensively, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, 1-for-1 from three-point range, and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line.

Their second meeting was a closer battle, but Farmington took the win 77-62 to finish 2-0 against the Owls during the regular season. Reynolds logged another double-double performance with 20 points and 11 boards in addition to a steal. He went 7-for-13 from the field, 2-for-6 from three-point range, and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. McLaughlin led the Beavers with 24 points during the matchup. Presque Isle’s Akhe McMichael was one rebound shy of tallying a double-double as he finished the game with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals.

Facts and Figures
UMF ranks second in the conference scoring at 87.3 points per game (89.7 in conference play), third in field goal percentage at .462 (.468 conf), and second in opponent field goal percentage, holding teams to .420 shooting. The Beavers also lead the conference in three-pointers made (10.8 per game at .366) and rebounding (43.1 overall, 45.9 in league play). Nationally, UMF ranks fifth in NCAA Division III in defensive rebounds per game (30.12), 15th in rebounds per game (43.12), and 16th in three-pointers made per game (10.8).

UMPI counters with the league’s top scoring defense, allowing just 73.8 points per game (70.3 conf), ranks second in free-throw percentage at .752 (395-for-525), and leads the conference in turnover margin, forcing 15.7 turnovers per game (+2.04 margin; 15.8 and +2.83 in conference play).

Individual Leaders:

• Zach McLaughlin (UMF) – 2nd in scoring - 25.5 PPG (26.3 conf), 2nd in 3PT - 2.9 3PT/G 
• Jason Reynolds (UMF) – 1st rebounding - 15.3 RPG (16.8 conf)
• Akhe McMichael (UMPI) – 2nd Free Throw Percentage - .826 FT% (123-149), 2.7 SPG (4th), 3.7 APG (4.1 conf, 5th)
• Gabe Michaud (UMF) – 1st in asssits - 6.0 APG (6.4 conf)
• Tyson Enget (UMPI) – 1st in conference 3.6 A/TO ratio

Tournament Statistics
UMaine-Farmington

• Zach McLaughlin (Hampden, Maine): 40 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal in 29 minutes (1 game); 12-26 FG, 4-10 3PT, 12-13 FT
• Jason Reynolds (Winslow, Maine): 9 points, 19 rebounds  in 26 minutes (1 game); 3-8 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-4 FT
• Kory Donlin (Warren, Maine): 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 22 minutes (1 game); 5-9 FG, 2-4 3PT
• Charlie Houghton (Dixfield, Maine): 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steals in 23 minutes (1 game); 4-11 FG, 1-6 FT
• Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine): 6 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steals in 27 minutes (1 game); 3-4 FG, 0-1 FT

UMaine-Presque Isle

• Akhe McMichael (St. Petersburg, Fla.) 56 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks in 65 minutes (2 games); 18-30 FG, 15-18 FT, 5-8 3PT
• Tyson Enget (Powers Lake, N.D.): 25 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steal, 1 block in 80 minutes (2 games); 7-14 FG, 9-10 FT, 2-4 3PT
• Doug McCalla (West Palm Beach, Fla.): 28 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 steals in 73 minutes (2 games); 13-27 FG, 2-5 3PT
• AJ Creech (Augusta Ga.): 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 57 minutes (2 games); 4-14 FG, 2-7 3PT, 4-5 FT
• Martin Tariq (Baltimore Md.): 16 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks in 75 minutes (2 games); 5-13 FG, 6-12 FT