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The University of Maine men’s basketball team saw its four-game conference winning streak snapped Saturday afternoon in New York. But not by much.
Binghamton University held off a late Black Bear charge in the game’s final minutes to win 63-62 at home.
Down 61-49, UMaine reeled off 13 straight points to take a 62-61 lead with 1:46 remaining. Binghamton’s Anthony Green sank two free throws just 15 seconds later and neither team scored the rest of the way. Green finished with a game-high 18 points for the Bearcats, none bigger than his final two.
Black Bear junior guard Eric Dobson had a chance for the win with seconds remaining, but his layup missed and Nick Billings grabbed the rebound for Binghamton, ending UMaine’s chances.
Dobson scored 15 points and added four assists and senior forward Clayton Brown led the Black Bears with 16 points, 13 coming in the second half. Junior guard Thomas Hill connected on 4-7 shots from three-point range and finished with 12 points to round out UMaine’s double-digit scorers.
The one missing component for the Black Bears was 7-foot senior center Justin Rowe, who was held to just two points and only one block in 23 minutes of action. Rowe went into the game leading the nation in blocked shots.
“It was an important win for us,” Binghamton coach Al Walker said. “We’ve still got a shot at finishing third in the conference, and I was proud of the way our guys hung in there after they came back on us.”
UMaine fell to 12-13 on the season and is now tied with Binghamton at 7-6 in America East Conference play. The Bearcats are 12-11 overall.
Billings, the conference’s other 7-footer, outplayed his counterpart Rowe by scoring 10 points, grabbing six rebounds and adding three blocks. Binghamton was hot from three-point range, connecting on 11-24 for 46 percent.
UMaine shot only 36 percent for the game from the floor. First-year guard Kevin Reed, the team’s leading scorer, was held to just three points, all from the free throw line. Reed missed all seven of his shots from the floor.
Black Bear senior forward Rickey White, the nation’s leader in field goal shooting, made only 3-9 shots and finished with eight points.
Binghamton’s Green made 4-8 from three-point range and added six rebounds and five assists. Stanley Ocitti and Jeffrey St. Fort each hit two three-point baskets for the Bearcats.
Binghamton and UMaine are now tied for third in America East with four games left on the Black Bears’ schedule.
UMaine travels to Boston University Wednesday night for a showdown with the conference-leading Terriers. BU used a balanced offensive attack and stodgy defense to defeat the Black Bears 63-53 at Alfond Arena Jan. 29.
UMaine returns home Sunday, Feb. 23 to host Stony Brook University.
Bangor Daily News