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PORTLAND – The University of Maine men’s basketball team got titanic efforts from both its Turners in defeating Dartmouth 64-55 Tuesday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.
The tandem, senior Ernest and junior Rashard, aren’t related but were brothers in arms as they dismantled the Big Green’s defense. Ernest led all scorers with 21 points, 15 in the first half, while Rashard took over in the second, finishing with 12 points in the half and 16 overall.
“They had a difficult time trying to stop our shooters,” said UMaine head coach Ted Woodward. “Right now we have two great shooters in Ernest Turner and Jon Sheets, so naturally defenses are extending and leaving more room inside.”
Wary of the three-point shooting ability the Black Bears have shown this season, Dartmouth concentrated on defending the perimeter. That opened up the lanes for the Turners, who knifed inside and made layups regularly.
“Coach stressed getting in and out, and I was trying to go to the hole agressively,” Ernest said.
Rashard was especially effective in drawing contact, as he was 10-of-10 from the free- throw line, and the Black Bears held a lopsided 28-4 advantage in free-throw attempts.
“I think we forced that by driving to the basket, forcing the ball inside, and getting offensive rebounds,” Woodward said. “We’d been doing things to get ourselves to the line and that’ll pay off.”
The Black Bears improve to 3-6 on the season, while Dartmouth fell to 1-3. It was UMaine’s second-straight win over the Big Green, and their second in three years in Portland.
Rashard also had a gamehigh six assists and tied for the team lead with four rebounds. He shot 3-of-4 from the field in addition to his 10-of-10 from the line, and hit four free throws in the final minute to help UMaine preserve the victory.
“I haven’t been shooting well, so defenses are playing off of me,” he explained. “I just try to take what the defenses give me; I try to play aggressive, get to the basket, and create.”
It wasn’t an easy night for the Black Bears though, especially early.
The Big Green jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first five minutes, mostly because they were able to control the offensive boards.
“We started out missing some rebound opportunities, they got second shots, and when we started stopping that we got back in it,” said Woodward.
UMaine responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game and then ended the half with an 8-2 run that sent them into halftime leading 30-27.
“We had a slow start, but we got focused,” Ernest Turner said.
The Black Bears started the second half with a 4-0 run, but allowed the Big Green to climb back into the game, taking the lead 42-40 on a Jason Meyer three-pointer. Mike Lang was the only Dartmouth player to hit double-digits with 12 points.
The teams traded leads until UMaine was able to pull away in the final five minutes.
Woodward had high praise for his team’s defensive efforts. The Black Bears forced 16 turnovers in the game, many of which resulted in easy baskets, and Dartmouth had difficulty finding open looks throughout the second half.
“We really locked down when we had to,” said Woodward, who also noted the importance of the defensive effort leading to results.
“We’ve been telling them that the defense would carry them, and they’ve been very resilient with that and they were finally able to get a result they wanted.”
The Black Bears’ forwards balanced out the team’s scoring, with juniors Olli Ahvenniemi and Chris Bruff, and sophomore Philippe Tchekane Bofia all chipping in nine points.
Ahvenniemi played his usual stout defense and recorded three blocks, including a crucial one with 1:30 to play in the game. He also shot well, collecting his nine points on 3-3 field goal shooting and 3-4 from the line.
Despite the early struggles on the boards, Woodward was pleased with the energy and tenacity his young team showed throughout the night, noting that their intangibles were helping their defensive game grow faster than their offense.
“Defense is all about effort, character, and toughness, and we have those things,” Woodward said. “Offensively, we’re still trying to find each other a little bit, but we know if we continue to play very good defense, the offense and the balance in our offense will come.”
After letting a lead slip away against Boston University last Saturday, Woodward’s young team bore down and held on Tuesday night, a sure sign they are gaining valuable experience and continuing to grow as a team.
“No matter how many times I tell them something, as frustrating as it can be, sometimes you have to learn it in the game,” Woodward said. “It might be grabbing a rebound or not taking an offensive foul late, that’s all part of it.”
The Black Bears were again without senior co-captain Kevin Reed. He did not make the trip to Portland, and has yet to play a game this season after suffering a foot injury in the preseason. He was a preseason First-Team All America East selection.
After going 1-1 on this home stand, UMaine hits the road again tonight, traveling to Piscataway, New Jersey, to face the Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are 7-2 on the year and will mark the second Big East opponent UMaine has visited this season, as they fell to Pittsburgh in late Nov. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Related Posts:- Football: Freshmen tandem help Black Bears sail (November 3, 2008)
- Saturday sweep paces Bears (April 27, 2009)
- It’s Turner Time (February 27, 2006)
- Black Bears get monumental win against BU (January 30, 2006)
- Black Bears vanquish feisty UNH (February 10, 2005)
