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It is often said that the true mark of a good team is its uncanny ability to win when it has no business pulling off a victory. For the University of Maine men’s basketball team, that type of victory came on Saturday afternoon, when the Black Bears earned a 48-36 victory against the Albany Great Danes.
Maine was able to overcome constant offensive struggles and shutdown the Albany scoring attack en route to its fifth consecutive win. Junior guard Freddy Petkus, the Black Bears’ resident sniper from behind the arc, would tally 12 points for the afternoon, leading Maine in the scoring department.
After the match Albany’s head coach Will Brown commented on his team’s success on the defensive side and their struggle on offense.
“This is tough to swallow when you give up 48 points and lose,” said Will Brown, whose team has dropped three in a row and 10 of its last 11 games. “Maine did a solid job defensively, but we had plenty of easy opportunities. Even though we didn’t execute, we still missed layups, second-chance shots and foul-line jumpers.”
Both teams came out of the gates sluggish and unable to find the bottom of the net, until senior Eric Dobson tallied the first points nearly two minutes into the match. The start of the decision would be highlighted by a Black Bear offense that was able to combat any assault Albany tried at the basket. It was the opening five and half minutes that saw the Black Bears hold Albany scoreless, but more importantly showcase the best defense in the conference. Maine’s frantic defense has continually caused many opponents’ offenses to stall.
The Blacks Bears defense has held its competition to a dismal 61.3 points a game and an even more impressive .393 from the field. The Great Danes were finally able to crack the scoreboard 5:48 into the match when standout freshman guard John Iati was able to drain three points to pull Albany even at 3-3. Petkus would respond, giving the Black Bears’ offense some life by nailing back-to-back three-point shots and launching Maine to a not-so impressive lead of 9-3, 10 minutes into the match. As the half progressed Maine got support on the offensive end from Ludmil Hadjisotirov and Chris Markwood. Both players would continue to add to the Black Bears’ success from the three-point line, successfully making long-range baskets. Albany was able to counter late in the half with a 7-0 run and close to within two points of Maine’s lead at the 4:30 minute mark. The Black Bears would close out the half with six straight baskets, giving them a 24-18 advantage at the half way mark of the contest.
With the opening whistle of the second half, Albany emerged from the locker room re-energized and possessing a new-found drive. The Great Danes were able to open the half with a 10-5 run, catapulting them only one point away from tying up the decision. Then after trailing for all but the opening minutes of the game, Albany was able to snatch its first lead of the day at 10:29 to grab a 30-29 advantage. The go-ahead basket came off the hands of freshman guard Jon Iati, who scored a team-high 12 points, on a fading 16-foot jumper from left of the lane.
After being held scoreless for almost seven minutes, Maine was able to regroup and strike back with eight unanswered points. The stretch of baskets was all the Black Bears would need to put themselves up for good. Notre Dame transfer Chris Markwood would begin the run after hauling down a loose rebound and putting the ball in the hoop. Hadjisotirov then sank a three-pointer from the top of the circle. Flavin, who added eight rebounds and three blocked shots, would cap off the streak of consecutive baskets by converting on an old fashion three-point play. The play pushed the Maine advantage to 37-30 with 4:22 left in the game. The Black Bears were able to put the finishing touches on their 10th conference victory of the year by closing out the game, with 12 free throws, ensuring the win.
For Maine the rather sluggish match was a milestone, marking the first time this season it had held an opponent to less than 40 points. It also stood as a season low for Albany, who was held to a season-low 36 points. The Black Bears, who held the home team to 26.8 percent shooting, gave the Great Danes their lowest scoring total since 1973.
Albany’s Aquawasi St. Hillaire tallied his fourth double-double of the year, while grabbing 10 points and hauling down 11 rebounds. In the decision, Maine would shoot a season low of 29.5 percent from the field, however it was enough to give the Black Bears their sixth win in as many games against Albany.
“Both teams did a good job on defense,” St. Hillaire said.
St. Hillaire discussed his team’s troubles with turnovers and scoring.
“We turned the ball over and struggled to put the ball in the basket when we had chance to take the game over in the second half,” St. Hillaire said. “We don’t have a lot of guys who can get their own shot, so we have to set good screens and look for each other.”
Along with Petkus, Maine was able to get double digits from senior Flavin, who has continually been Maine’s go to guy this season when all else fails. Flavin posted 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the glass. Standout Kevin Reed struggled much of the game on the offensive side, but was still able to contribute to the outcome by snatching eight decisive rebounds. Reed’s ability to still make an impact on the game helps to show the Black Bears’ ability to still contend when facing surmounting adversity.
Maine, who improved to 10-4 in conference play and 16-7 on the season, is set to face off against Boston University this Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Alfond Arena, in the team’s last home game of the season. The Black Bears are sitting in third place in the America East Standings, while the Terriers rest just above in second place. The Terriers, considered one of the best teams in the conference, promise to give the Black Bears their toughest challenge at home this year.
