FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington men’s basketball team gave the North Atlantic Conference a heads-up that it is the real deal at Dearborn Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

The Beavers chewed up the University of Maine at Machias with a 96-64 victory in a non-conference game, which was also the season opener for UMF.

UMF ran the the court for the most of the evening. By halftime, the Beavers were feeling quite comfortable with a 46-37 lead before going on to score another 50 points in the second half. UMF’s transition, shooting and defense all jelled together and overwhelmed the Clippers.

“We did a really great job with that once we got the ball moving on a few possessions,” UMF coach Dick Meader said. “We finished well, especially in the second half. We had a burst there for about five minutes. Amir Moss played great. He scored early and played defense the whole period. He had a great night.”

And everybody on the UMF side got into the act, particularly 6-foot-3 junior forward Riley Robinson, who dropped in a game-high 24 points. Robinson collected nine rebounds, too.

Senior forward Milani Hicks, who was forced to miss some of the first half when he got into foul trouble, lit up the scoreboard in the second half with his drive-through trips to the net for 15 points.

Moss, who is also a go-to-the-net player, picked up 13 points for the Beavers. Moss was a menace on defense as well, pocketing five steals for himself.

Trey Thompson threw in the team-high 14 points for Machias, and Thomas Papagion and Alex Blake each added 11 points.

“They are just better than us,” Clippers coach Troy Alley, who also coaches the women’s team, said. “Here is a quote for you: They are better than us, faster than us, they are smarter than us.

“They are just better than we are right now. They are the epitome of what I want my team to be. So hopefully we get there, but we have a long way to go.”

Women’s basketball

UMaine-Machias 51, UMF 47

FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington women’s team was on the cusp of beating the University of Maine at Machias at Dearborn Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

But the Beavers’ offense late in the final quarter stalled and the Clippers took advantage, beating UMF 51-47 in a non-conference game that came down to the final three minutes of action.

“We didn’t play that well, but we made some big plays down the end and pulled it off,” Machias coach Troy Alley said. “That’s all that matters. Just got to win games, right?”

Raegene Womack helped carry the Clippers toward the end and eventually scored the game-high 17 points. She also collected 13 rebounds. Former Monmouth Academy standout Abbey Allen helped out with 11 points and Tate Dolley scored 15.

“Womack is a first-year player for us,” Alley said. “She carried us tonight. Some of the other girls had an off-night and she really stole show in the second half for us.”

For the Beavers, Haley Felke threw in a team-high 13 points, and Paige Carter and Molly Folsom each scored eight points.

“You have to play an entire 40 minutes, and we started off great, but couldn’t hold them off at the end,” UMF coach Jamie Beaudoin said. “You’ve got to make some shot,s and obviously a game in the 50s you have to grind it out and every possession is a key, and we had a few more turnovers …”

The University of Maine at Farmington center Paige Carter (40) reaches for a rebound as teammate Morgan Crocker (14) during a game against the University of Maine at Machias at Dearborn Gymnasium in Farmington on Tuesday night. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)UMM’s Tate Dolley (33) goes up for a shot as UMF’s Halee Ramsdell (50) tries to intervene as her teammate Haley Felkel (32) looks on during a game against the University of Maine at Machias at Dearborn Gymnasium in Farmington on Tuesday night. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)UMF’s Morgan Crocker (14) goes up for a shot as UMM’s Tate Dolley (33) tries to stop Crocker. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)UMF’s Riley Robinson (20) pulls down a rebound as he untangles himself from UMM’s Justin Worden (3) during a game against the University of Maine at Machias at Dearborn Gymnasium in Farmington on Tuesday night. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)UMF forward Milani Hicks goes up for a basket during a game against the University of Maine at Machias at Dearborn Gymnasium in Farmington on Tuesday night. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)UMF junior guard Amir Moss (10) drives past UMM’s Dylan Brown (2) during a game at Dearborn Gymnasium in Farmington on Tuesday night. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)