CASTINE, Maine – Maine Maritime Academy wrapped up the regular season with a 71-61 victory over Thomas College on Saturday afternoon in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action, inside of Smith Gymnasium.

Senior Kristi Willey (Topsham Maine) kicked off Senior Day with a layup, and followed that up with a free throw to give the Mariners a 3-1 lead at 7:52. The Terriers fought back, outscoring the Mariners 9-2 to take a 10-6 lead at 4:52. Thomas led by as much as eight with 1:12 to go in the first quarter, but the Mariners scored four-straight to close out the quarter down by just four (18-14).

Thomas College held an advantage for the majority of the second quarter until the Mariners scored nine-unanswered points late, led by five-straight points from Alayne Felix (Mahopac, N.Y.), to take a three-point lead. Kelly Macomber added a free throw in the final seconds of the quarter to cut the Mariners' lead to 32-30 entering halftime.

Amira Jones made a layup to open up the second half and tie the game at 32-32, but Willey hit back-to-back jumpers to give the Mariners a 36-32 lead. The Terriers responded with four-unanswered points to tie the game up once again, but Eryn Doiron (Wilton, Maine) hit a three and pulled down a rebound that led to a basket by Caitlin Kane (Wilton, Maine) to give the Mariners a 44-38 lead. Thomas scored five-straight to take their first lead of the second half (45-44) at 3:02, but it didn't last long as the Mariners outscored the Terriers 13-2 in the final three minutes to take a 10-point lead into the final quarter.

The Mariners never looked back in the fourth quarter, claiming the 71-61 victory.

Felix and Kane led the Mariners with 13 points each, Felix added four steals, a rebound, and an assist and Kane contributed three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Tess Clark (Spring, Texas) and Willey chipped in with 10 points apiece, Clark added three rebounds and Willey picked up three steals and a rebound.

Molly Carroll and Jones and led the Terriers with 16 points apiece, Carroll added six assists, three rebounds, and a steal and Jones chipped in with five rebounds. Karli Stubbs added 11 points, two rebounds, an assist and a block.

The Mariners conclude their regular season at 14-11 overall and 10-8 in the conference, while the Terriers fall to 7-18 on the season and 4-14 in the NAC.

Prior to the game, the Mariners honored the team's three seniors; Manager Morgan Maxwell and players, Kristi Willey and Alex Winchester (Hampden, Maine). To see more photos from Senior Day click HERE.

With the win, the Mariners advance to the North Atlantic Conference tournament for the 20th-consecutive season. The Mariners enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed, and will travel to take on the fourth-seed, Colby-Sawyer College on Tuesday, February 21.

2017 NAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
All start dates/times are subject to change

Quarterfinals • Tuesday, February 21 (at higher seeds)
No. 5 Maine Maritime (14-11, 10-8) at No. 4 Colby-Sawyer (17-8, 12-6) - TBD
No. 6 Johnson State (12-13, 8-10) at No. 3 New England College (19-6, 13-5) - TBD

Semifinals • Friday, February 24 (at Husson)
4/5 winner at No. 1 Husson (20-4, 16-2) - 6:00 p.m. - Video
3/6 winner vs. No. 2 Castleton (17-8, 15-3) - 8:00 p.m. - Video

Championship • Saturday, February 25 (at Husson)
Semifinal Winners - 4:30 p.m. - Video

Click HERE for the Interactive Tournament Bracket.
Click HERE for the Printable Tournament Bracket.
Click HERE to view the complete NAC release.