Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
Maine entered Wednesday night’s game knowing it was going to be a battle and the 40 minutes of regulation play that ensued was nothing short of one. In a game that was being billed as one of the more pivotal games, the Black Bears fought their America East rivals the Northeastern Huskies to the bitter end. The game featured a feverish pace, led by the Huskies’ deadly point guard Jose Juan Barea, who scored a game high, 33 points during the night. Barea’s explosion from the field carried the Huskies to a tremendous 82-79 victory, which pushed Northeastern into sole possession of third place in America East. The game was highlighted by a ferocious comeback from the Black Bears, who were able to climb all the way back from an 11-point deficit with 1:28 remaining in the match. The gritty play of Bangor’s Joe Campbell and the free-throw-shooting of Mark Flavin allowed the Black Bears the opportunity to have a chance to force overtime at the final whistle. However, Maine was unable to capitalize from behind the three-point arc as time ticked away, with both Eric Dobson and Joe Campbell missing three-point baskets that would have forced overtime. In response to his team’s play at the end of the decision, Maine’s head coach responded by saying he never worries about his guys playing well at the end.
“Our guys will always play hard ’til the very last whistle,” said Giannini.
Although the outcome of the game was not in favor of the Black Bears, Maine saw several different players shine on the court. Most noticeable was the play of guard Ludmil Hadjisotirov, who tallied 16 points on the game, including an impressive 3-6 from three-point land. The Black Bears had several other players contributing in the double digits for the night. Joe Campbell would drop down 17 points and 12 rebounds on the night, posting his second double-double of the season. He also added four steals and three assists. Mark Flavin led the Black Bears with 18, while Kevin Reed tallied 11 points. The Black Bears held a 39-35 advantage on the glass. The 82 points were the most that Maine has allowed this season.
“We played hard tonight,” Giannini said. “Northeastern had a great stretch of shooting, especially by Barea. We did a lot well tonight expcept turnovers, which was the difference in the game. We rebounded hard, which was a plus.”
Last Saturday at Alfond Arena, the University of Maine men’s Basketball team used a feisty defense to combat its offense woes and pull out a victory. The team’s offensive struggles will need to vanish if the Black Bears hope to compete against Stony Brook on the road this Saturday. Maine heads to New York State for a face-off with the Seawolves, who are coming off a Sunday night win against Binghamton, a team the Black Bears struggled against and eventual lost to.
The match-up will be the two teams’ second of the season, the first coming in Orono on Jan. 4 when the Black Bears were able to squeak by with a 46-41 victory. In the game, which served as Maine’s America East Home opener, both offenses were shutdown by combative defenses that held each team below 50 percent from the field. Maine limited Stony Brook to just four made field goals in the second half on four of 20 shooting and didn’t allow Stony Brook a field goal in a span of eight minutes. The game was highlighted by the play of senior guard Eric Dobson, who dropped 12 points on the day. The Black Bears will need that strong defense on their side once again this weekend, but more important is whether the offense will be strong.
Giannini said he just wants his team to continue to play as hard as they have been. As for the offense, he says he knows it will come around sooner or later, and when it does, this team is going to emerge as an even more dangerous team in the American East Conference. UMaine and Stony Brook tip off Saturday at 2 p.m.
