Box Score WATERVILLE, ME --- Tyheem Simon scored a game-high 28 points off the bench and Carlos Gonzalez added a double-double as Thomas College held off the University of Maine at Augusta, 91-83, at Larry Mahaney Gymnasium.
Keith Chesley may have tallied the first point for the Moose (6-8), but it was Dallas Murray who had the hot hand early. Murray scored 14 straight UMA points on four three-pointers and a layup to put the Moose up 15-6 nearly five minutes in. Carlos Gonzalez kept the Terriers (4-5) close, however, scoring three early layups during the run.
UMA eventually pushed the advantage to 11 points, taking a 28-17 lead with 10:35 to play in the half after Chesley drained a jumper. Thomas responded with a 19-2 run over the next six minutes, kicked off by a three-point play by Gonzalez and sustained by eight points from Simon to take a 36-30 lead.
A three-pointer by Brandon Rogers and a pair of free throws by Joseph Davila drew the Moose within at 36-35 with 2:10 remaining. A trey by Adam Carlsen extended the Terrier lead back to four points, but a jumper by Davila and another three by Rogers in the final seconds gave UMA a 40-39 lead at the break.
Murray drained another three-pointer to kick off the second half but the Moose could not sustain the momentum as they missed their next seven shots from the field. Thomas took advantage, going on a 17-0 run behind a trio of three-pointers by Carlsen, another by Mike Akanji and an old-fashioned three-point play by Gonzalez. Ian King capped the run by tipping in a Gonzalez miss to give the Terriers their largest lead of the game at 56-43 with 15:44 to play.
UMA was able to cut the lead to as few as three points later in the half, including with just 1:45 left after a Murray jumper made it 83-80, but Thomas hit eight of 10 free throws in the final 2:46 to help ice the game.
Simon, who came off the bench for the second straight game, was 12-of-16 from the field in 28 minutes of play while Gonzalez netted 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. He also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds and had two blocks and two steals. Carlsen, who was 5-of-9 from three-point range, finished with 15 points in just 18 minutes.
King and Justin Murray each had four assists to lead the Terriers.
Dallas Murray and Rogers each had 21 points to lead UMA, while Chesley had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. The Terriers were effective in limiting Rogers' chances on the boards. Rogers, who entered the game ranked second in USCAA Division II in rebounding at 13.9 per game, was held well below his average with just eight caroms. Caleb McGuire also posted double-digits for the Moose with 11 points.
UMA finished with 14 three-pointers in the contest, hitting at a 42.4 percent clip, but Thomas gained its advantage at the free throw line. The Terriers were 15-of-18 overall, compared to just 5-of-7 for the Moose. Thomas also won the battle on the boards, 44-33, including 13-7 on the offensive glass. UMA had entered the game averaging nearly 40 rebounds per outing.
The Terriers improved to 11-0 all-time against the Moose.
Thomas closes out its non-conference schedule Sunday afternoon with a 3 p.m. contest at University of Maine at Presque Isle. The Owls are currently 3-5 overall, but have matchups with Unity (Thursday) and Plymouth State (Saturday) before facing the Terriers.
The Terriers return to North Atlantic Conference play at UMaine-Farmington on Tuesday, January 5, before settling in for a six-game home stand through mid-January.
