FARMINGTON, Maine — Maine Maritime Academy battled on the road Saturday afternoon but came up short in North Atlantic Conference action, falling 80-75 to University of Maine at Farmington at Dearborn Gymnasium.

Maine Maritime stayed within striking distance throughout and mounted a late push, but the Mariners were unable to overcome the narrow deficit in the closing minutes.

The Mariners opened the game with strong offensive execution, moving the ball well and knocking down perimeter shots to build an early advantage. Maine Maritime carried that momentum into halftime with a 44-38 lead after shooting efficiently from the floor and converting key opportunities from beyond the arc.

Freshman Drew Hamilton led the Mariners with 21 points, connecting on 8-of-11 from the field and drilling five three-pointers. Sophomore Marcus Schade added 19 points, providing a consistent scoring presence throughout the contest. Freshman Aaron Pensel contributed 12 points, while junior Jack Banks and sophomore Gabe Hagar added valuable minutes on both ends of the floor.

As a team, Maine Maritime shot 46.9 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three-point range. The Mariners remained aggressive offensively and competed on the glass, but timely scoring by the home team in the second half shifted momentum.

Despite trimming the deficit in the final minutes and battling until the closing buzzer, Maine Maritime was unable to complete the comeback.

The Mariners now turn their attention to the NAC tournament hosting No. 5 SUNY Cobleskill on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the conference quarterfinals.