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The men’s basketball team is no stranger to winning after a tough loss, and when they do win, they win big. After losing two close games early in the season at the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, the Black Bears pummeled Fisher College 81-36. Following a 78-48 loss to Providence College, the University of Maine handled New Jersey Tech 86-58. So what can be expected this Saturday against Mount St. Mary’s after losing 95-55 to Florida State University?
“We know we can play better defense, rebound the ball better and make better decisions,” UMaine guard Junior Bernal said. “After playing in a game like that, we realize we need to bring the intensity and take care of the ball better every single game.”
Bernal said that the team understands every opponent is going to bring a different style of playing to the game, and it is up to the Black Bears to adjust better defensively to keep themselves in a position to win.
UMaine hosts Mount St. Mary’s this Saturday at 2 p.m. and Bernal says that the team is working hard on things they did not do efficiently against FSU.
“We need to be focused from the start, and when we practice we need to come out and challenge each other.”
Maine is a tall, athletic team and Bernal said that limiting turnovers and out-rebounding the opposition will be key to winning Saturday.
Everyone says to take things one game at a time, but the 4-5 Black Bears know it would be nice to win Saturday and go to UConn on the Dec. 22 with a .500 record.
“We would definitely have more confidence going into such a big game with a 5-5 record,” Bernal said. “No matter who we play though, we need to just do what we do, and that means play defense, rebound and attack.”
Maine will look to do just that against Mount St. Mary’s.
A big factor looking ahead to the game against UConn will be if Maine’s No. 2 and 3 scorers can find their rhythm offensively and put their team in a position to be successful. Bernal and guard Mark Socoby were both quiet on the offensive end, in both blow out losses to Providence and Florida State. Bernal knows that teams are going to focus on him and Socoby, so they need be able to adjust better to the defense.
“We just need to keep working hard and play well with our teammates,” Bernal said. The Black Bears bench has begun to step up and put some big points on the board. Bernal knows trust is a key factor for the team.
The loss to FSU adds to the team chemistry because all the players have now experienced the intensity of a big time school that will help them prepare for UConn. “It was a good experience because it was a big atmosphere with higher competition, and when we go to UConn, it will be similar with the high competition and the big arena,” Bernal said. “The new guys on our team, who aren’t used to the intense atmosphere, know what to expect when we go to Uconn now because of the FSU game.”
A pleasant thought for the Black Bears is that they are in third place in America East and only half a game behind Albany.
“We knew we had a lot of good players even though we’re young, and we knew if we did things well like rebound and score in the paint we would be in a good position to be successful,” Bernal said. “We just need to keep working hard and be consistent.”
