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ORONO – Briefly, the University of Maine men’s basketball team appeared headed for a sixth- straight loss, trailing lowly Stony Brook by nine points yesterday. Evidently, senior forward Chris Bruff had seen enough.
The affable 6-4 leader owned the second half, exploding for 14 of his 19 points to lead the Black Bears over the Seawolves 63-61 at Alfond Arena. The win snapped a five-game losing skid and secured the No. 4 seed in next weekend’s America East tournament, where UMaine will play Maryland Baltimore-County Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
“Our three seniors really stepped up for us,” said UMaine coach Ted Woodward. “Especially in the second half, Chris and Kevin [Reed] wanted the ball and that was big for us.”
The Black Bears finish the regular season 12-17, 7-9 in conference action, while the Seawolves finished in last place at 9-19, 4-12.
UMaine shot 55 percent in the first half, but trailed thanks to sloppy play and 12 turnovers that led to 13 points. Coupled with 11 Seawolf second-chance points, the Black Bears trailed 37-28 early in the second half. They buckled down from there, turning it over just once the rest of the way.
“Coach just told us to step up and take responsibility for things,” said Bruff, who added six boards and three assists.
Stony Brook missed 15 of its next 18 shots as Bruff, Reed and freshman Mark Socoby led the Black Bears on an 18-2 scoring binge that turned the tide.
“It didn’t really feel like it was 18-2,” said Socoby, who poured in 10 of his 13 points in the second half. “We’ve really learned to take it personally when they score on us, and to not let it happen again. The defense fueled our offense.”
Defense keyed the run, as the Seawolves were held scoreless for a pair of five-minute spans. Ricky Lucas and Mitchell Beauford combined for 27 of Stony Brook’s 35 first-half points, but each was held in check until the final five minutes of the game.
“We actually talked,” Bruff said, explaining UMaine’s heightened defensive presence. “It’s amazing how well communication works out there.”
After missing two of his first three earlier, Bruff sunk a pair of free throws to give UMaine the lead for good, 46-45 with 10 minutes left.
The Seawolves made things interesting, though, with a late surge capped by a conventional three-point play from Beauford that made it 63-61. Stony Brook opted not to foul on UMaine’s ensuing possession and Lucas’ half-court prayer bounced harmlessly off the back rim as time expired.
“If that [last shot] was another team taking it against us, it would’ve went in,” said Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell. “That’s been the story of our season.”
Lucas finished with a game-high 21 points, Beauford added 16 and Mike Popoko had 10, but the rest of the Seawolves’ supporting cast managed just 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting.
“We’ve struggled to score at times and you saw that in the second half,” said Pikiell. “We need more guys to step up because we’re not good enough to win with just those two. When they play hard we have a chance to win, but we need more.”
The Black Bears finally found their scoring balance, seeing five players score in double-digits. In addition to Bruff’s 19 and Socoby’s 13, Reed added 12 and Philippe Tchekane Bofia had 10. Senior Jon Sheets chipped in nine on a trio of timely three-pointers and dished out six assists.
On Senior Day, the Black Bears got an ironic glimpse of the future as it was Socoby and Bofia that shined down the stretch.
“That was a huge change from the first half to the second half,” Woodward said. “Our freshmen were taking shots and looking to be the aggressors.”
Socoby scored six points in the last three minutes, including a crucial trey and a trio of free throws he rebounded to make after a few frustrating misses earlier in the afternoon.
“I’m not too accustomed to missing free throws, but you have to keep your composure,” said Socoby, who was more than happy to help deliver a Senior Day win to his brother-in-law and team captain Reed.
“I’m still learning,” he said. “It’s Senior Day, and I’ve learned so much from those guys about the game and about life.”
Turning in his best performance in nearly a month, Bofia had an all- around impact with 10 points, four assists and two boards. His presence helped UMaine gain a healthy edge in the paint in the second half.
“Bofia might’ve been the X-factor,” said Pikiell. “He got them some easy baskets. From the first half to the second half he was a big problem for us.”
UMaine now turns its attention to the America East championship tournament next weekend in Boston. Thursday, the awards and all-conference teams will be handed out, and the Black Bears are in action Saturday against UMBC. The Retrievers beat the Black Bears 80-77 last Wednesday and the Bears will be hoping for a different outcome this time around.
“We’re trying to really turn it up and get into tournament mode,” said Socoby.
Bangor Daily News