FARMINGTON — Freshman guard Jordan Goodson scored the game-winning baskets, but another freshman guard, Evan Arsenault, had his team’s backs from the perimeter Friday night.

Arsenault went 6-for-9 from beyond arc for a team-high 20 points and Goodson’s heroics added up to 18 points as No. 4 Thomas College slipped away with a an 86-85 victory over top-ranked University of Maine at Farmington in the North Atlantic Conference men’s basketball semifinals at a packed Dearborn Gymnasium. 

Thomas goes on to play the winner of the No. 2 Husson University-No. 3 Suny Canton game for the NAC title on Saturday.

“Man, I am blessed with a group that likes to play tough defense and get out and go,” Thomas coach Joe Scheuers said. “Big shot after big shot; big stop after big stop against the No. 1 team in the conference all on the road.

“We have freshmen playing like seniors. It is just fun. We have five guys who can slide it up. We got guys who can put it on the ground and we have the best post player in the conference.”

Scheuers pointed out that his Terriers beat the Beavers twice during the regular season. 

“We know UMF was the top dog coming in,” he said. “Our guys came into the game with confidence, but hats off to UMF.  No. 22 (Milani Hicks) is the best player in the conference this year. Hicks, he’s a stud.”

The second half featured players bouncing of the floor, and perimeter shooting that brought each team back from the brink. Thomas knocked down 15 3-pointers to UMF’s seven.

Arsenault, who never seemed rattled when he had a hand in his face, was devastating with his base-line 3-pointers.

“I have taken a lot of shots and my guys get me in spots where I don’t think about it,” Arsenault said. “It just comes and they put me in great spots and I get the ball in rhythm and I put it up. I get confidence from teammates and my coach.”

With 2:02 left in the game, the teams traded 3-pointers. Arsenault put the Terriers up 79-78 with his long-rang shot, but Isaac Witham (11 points, three treys) responded with a 3-pointer that gave back the lead to UMF, 81-79. Junior guard Amir Moss (game-high 25 points) went to the foul line hit one of two and the Beavers were ahead by three points.

Junior guard Zack Mackinnon (14 points) delivered one of his four 3-pointers and tied the game 82-82 with 52.2  seconds left.

UMF scored three more points, but Thomas got the ball back and  Goodson hit a jumper with 1.4 seconds left in the game, leaving UMF little time to retaliate. Goodson was fouled with a half-second left and deposited two more points from the charity stripe.

For the night, UMF’s Hicks delivered 23 points and Bill Ruby scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

“They made big shots,” UMF coach Dick Meader said. “Give them credit for that. They made well over 50 percent and shot a number of them, and we got out to some of them, but not all of them and that hurt.

“We had a couple of turnovers and missed shots. At the end, it was difficult, but they are good. The point guard doesn’t turn it over they got guys who can go off the dribble.

“It was a good season … but they played hard and we made some mistakes that cost us.” 

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