Moose hot from behind the arc in win for men’s basketball

CONCORD, N.H. - Senior Keith Chesley scored 29 points and freshman Noah Thompson added 6 more as the University of Maine at Augusta men's basketball team defeated Central International College 73-69 Saturday night in the first round of the Hogan Camps Thanksgiving Tournament hosted by NHTI.

The Moose (2-4) opened the game with a 9-0 run, but the Cardinals (0-2) battled back with a 12-0 run in the final five minutes of the half to take a 34-30 lead into the locker room. UMA trailed for the first five minutes of the second half, before a jump shot from Dallas Murray (Newport, R.I.) tied the game at 42. UMA went on to score nine consecutive unanswered points to take a seven point lead, but once again the Cardinals battled back, leading by three points with less than three minutes to play in regulation. 

Chesley (Clinton, Maine) made a crucial lay up and converted the free throw to give his team a lead they would never relinquish. Chesley was the leading rebounder for UMA, with nine on the game, while freshman Murray scored 14 points and dished out a game-high nine assists while grabbing seven rebounds. The Moose were out-rebounded by the Cardinals 51-37, but held the edge in free-throws, converting 73.3% from the charity stripe on the night to just 53.3% for the Cardinals. UMA also shot 35.7% from behind the arc, including four three-pointers each from Murray and Thompson (Yuma, Ariz.). 

Central International College was led by Chris Bol who scored 20 points and recorded 18 rebounds. The Moose return to action Tuesday night at home when the team takes on YSCC rival Southern Maine Community College.