Sports

Eagles clip UM in season opener

By Matthew Conyers

Posted on Nov. 22, 2004, at 12:00 a.m.

nick tarnoff

EAGLE ATTACK - UMaine´s Ernest Turner watches BC´s Louis Hinnant closely during Friday nights defeat.

There are always those defining images in sports that seem to burn deeply in a spectator’s mind. That lasting image of a buzzer-beating three-pointer. That final penalty kick. That breathtaking save as time expires. Last March, the University of Vermont’s Taylor Coppenrath forever etched his place in University of Maine men’s basketball folklore after a record breaking performance in the America East title game. Behind the indelible force of Coppenrath, who registered 43 points, the Black Bears were denied their first trip to the most coveted destination in college basketball – the NCAA tournament.

On Friday, nearly eight months removed from their epic battle with Coppenrath, UMaine began their quest to avenge last season’s heartbreaking defeat with a trip to Chestnut Hill to face off against the heavily favored Boston College Eagles. Led by the sharp shooting Kevin Reed and the talented Ernest Turner the Black Bears nearly pulled off the surprising upset falling 72-58 in their opening game of the season. In a game that played out a lot closer then what the final score reveals, UMaine saw a late BC run douse any hope of a memorable finish in Beantown.

The Eagles Jared Dudley recorded a game-high 23 points en route to the victory. For the Black Bears, Turner finished the decision with a team-high 18 points, while garnering five assists along the way in his UMaine debut. Turner transferred from Unversity of Nevada-Las Vegas last season.

For UMaine, the match also marked the start of the Ted Woodward era. Woodward, who replaced former head coach Dr. John Giannini earlier this year, saw his veteran squad enter halftime down by one point to the Eagles. Even more impressive, the Black Bears narrowly trailed BC by three points with 4:09 remaining in the match.

From the start of the first whistle, it was clear the Black Bears were prepared to contend. UMaine opened the half with an early 10-4 advantage. Reed, serving as the catalyst for the early run, drained back-to-back during the offensive assault. The Eagles were able to pull even at 8:36 of the half, behind the dynamic play of Dudley. Both teams exchanged leads for the remainder of the half with the Eagles carrying a 35-34 advantage into the locker room.

UMaine left the half shooting 13-of-26 from the field, while BC connected on 15-of-29 shots. For both squads, the half was highlighted by above average shooting that saw the Black Bears shoot 50.8 percent from the field. The Eagles shot 51.7 percent on the half.

The second half continued to play out similar to the first, with both squads exchanging leads in the opening 10 minutes. BC finally built a comfortable eight point cushion halfway through the half after two pivotal back-to-back layups by Dudley and Sean Williams. With the Eagles holding their largest lead of the match, UMaine staged a dramatic comeback on the heels of two Turner tallies. The Black Bears answered with Turner banking a deep three-point from the right side of the court followed by an easy layup.

UMaine continued to cut away at the Eagle advantage when Mark Flavin scored on a tip-in off a missed shot, with 4:09 remaining in the contest. The basket which pushed the Black Bears to within 58-55, was the closest the Black Bears would get. BC then returned with an exciting 14-3 run to close the match. It was a run mainly executed from the free throw line, with the Eagles recording nine of those 14 points on the free throw line.

The game also exposed the reliable play of Kevin Reed, who sparked an early Black Bear advantage in the opening half. Reed closed the decision with 11 points. Chris Markwood and Jermaine Jackson, recorded nine and eight points, respectively on the evening.

UMaine finished the decision shooting 40.4 percent from the field, while the Eagles ended the match shooting 51.0 percent. Boston College also carried the advantage in the rebounding department hauling 33 in rebounds to UMaine’s 31.

With the win, BC improved to 1-0 on the year.

The Black Bears will look to rebound from the early defeat at 7 p.mMonday when they host Bethune Cookman College in Portland.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 22nd, 2004, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.