UMPI closes at home against UMFK
PRESQUE ISLE — Patrick Manifold scored 31 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the University of Maine-Presque Isle men’s basketball team to an 81-65 home win over Fisher College Sunday.
The phrase “familiarity breeds contempt” certainly applied in this contest as the two teams got physical in their third meeting of the season. A total of 40 fouls were called and 54 free throws shot as the Owls won for the second time over the Falcons. UM-Presque Isle improved to 10-12 while the NAIA Division II Falcons fell to 8-18.
The two teams traded buckets for the game’s first 10 minutes, with UMPI holding a 19-16 lead at the 9:42 mark. That is when UMPI’s “British Connection” helped open up some breathing room. Manifold and his English countryman Michael Warner combined to score the Owls next nine points, staking them to a 30-20 advantage. That is a lead they would maintain the balance of the half, leading 34-25 at the break.
Fisher battled back in the second half and at 13:49, a Kyle Murphy jumper actually gave them the lead, 42-40. Warner however, evened the game and then took the lead back with a jumper followed by a three-point play.
The game remained nip and tuck until Manifold and Warner once again teamed up to, this time, provide a knockout punch. Up only five with 4:47 remaining, the tandem scored the game’s next 12 points. By the time the Owls sent Falcon Ryan McCorkle to the free throw line with 1:10 remaining, they held a comfortable 77-60 lead.
Warner finished with 24 points, marking the fifth time this season he has scored over 20.
Claude Louis nearly pulling out a triple-double with his 10-point, eight-rebound, eight-assist performance.
McCorkle led the Falcons with 21 points.
In their other games last week, the Owls fell to UM-Machias last Wednesday, 65-60, in Machias and Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor Saturday, 75-63.
The Owls will host their final home contest of the season when they welcome rival UM-Fort Kent this Thursday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. It will be Senior Night as the Owls will honor their three seniors in a pre-game ceremony: Manifold, Gerardo Vasquez and Brad Trask of Easton.
Owl women top Fisher
PRESQUE ISLE — Mark down the UM-Presque Isle women’s basketball team as believers in the sports adage “it’s tough to beat a team three times in one season.” The Owls accomplished just that on Sunday after defeating a very game Fisher College squad, 77-66.
With the victory, the Owls are now 7-14 on the season while the Falcons fell to 1-21.
The tone was set early for a wild game when Presque Isle opened by scoring the first nine points, only for Fisher to come out of its timeout and score the game’s next 11. Randi Kaplan then hit a three-pointer to start a 10-1 run to get the lead back for the Owls.
But that did not mean that the Falcons would lay down. Javana Bernard made sure of that. Showing an array of circus shots, including a near 30-foot, fading, three-pointer as the shot clock struck zero during a possession in the second half, Bernard scored 30 points and at times was seemingly single-handedly keeping her Falcons in the game.
The Owls led by seven at halftime and by eight early in the second half, but Fisher fought back to tie the game.
Finally UM-Presque Isle forged some breathing room thanks to an Amanda Hotham jumper followed by an Emily Pelletier three-pointer that put them up 60-53.
Scoring came fast and furious at that point as the two teams then combined to make nine of the next 10 shot attempts from the floor. That run ended the way it began, with a Pelletier three, this one putting the Owls up 71-62 with 1:51 remaining.
Pelletier and Olivia McNally went a perfect 4 for 4 from the free throw line in the last minute to seal the hard fought win.
McNally picked a good day to have one of her best games as an Owl. The 5-5 guard scored 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting, dished out nine assists and pulled down eight rebounds.
Overall, the Owls’ well-balanced attack featured four players in double figures. Along with McNally’s 18, Pelletier scored 13 (10 in the final 4:52 of the game, Kaplan was perfect from the free throw line and three-point range (two for two from each) to score 10 and Doni Yendriga had 10 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
UMPI beat EMCC in Bangor Saturday, 54-35, after falling to UM-Machias, 64-44, last Wednesday.
The Owls will get a few days to prepare for their home finale against UM-Fort Kent on Thursday. Gametime is set for 5:30 p.m. The Owls will pay tribute to their lone senior, Emily Pelletier, in a brief pre-game ceremony.
