This week the UMaine men’s basketball team faced off against the University at Albany Great Danes and Stony Brook University Seawolves. After facing both teams earlier in the season, with Maine coming out on top against Albany 66-62 and losing to Stony Brook 61-64. Both games were rematches, these two close games were going to be tough, but it was really anybody’s game. With the Black Bears coming off of a three game losing streak, it would be important that they find their bearings and come back for a win against Albany at home.
With Albany seeking revenge after an at-home loss back in January, Maine knew that they could not let up. Through the first half, the game appeared to be stuck in a loop; Maine would gain a minimum of a five point lead, and then the Great Danes would come right back to level the score. With five minutes left in the half, Albany managed to take the lead and led by a score of 35-29.
The second half saw both teams go back and forth as well, with Maine levying the score but were unable to take the lead. The Great Danes mirrored the first half, taking the lead and not looking back with five minutes to go. The contest resulted in a 63-54 loss, but Maine stuck in the game well despite being outshot from the free throw line and trailing in rebounds. The opponents went 8 for 9 from the free throw line in the second half while Maine went 1 for 4. Albany also had 32 rebounds compared to Maine’s 26. The top scorers for this game were third-year forward Andrew Fleming with 14 points, third-year guard Isaiah White with 11 points and third-year guard Dennis Ashley with 10 points.
Coming off of the loss, Maine hit the road to head to Stony Brook, New York. Maine lost against Stony Brook at home earlier this season by three points, and came into the game looking for revenge. The first 10 minutes started out quite evenly, with both teams sitting tied at 14 points. After the 10-minute mark, Stony Brook kicked their game into high gear, scoring 29 points in the rest of the half while locking down their defense, holding the Black Bears to only nine points.
Stony Brook kept their foot on the gas heading in the second half, scoring 38 more points and driving the score up to 81-53 as the final buzzer sounded. Despite the huge loss, both White and Fleming scored in the double digits, with 18 points and 12 points respectively. Maine went a decent 42.6 percent from the field, however they only went 27 percent from beyond the arc and 44 percent from behind the free throw line. The opposing team went an even better 53.2 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc, with a free throw percentage of 62.5 percent. This shooting percentage along with snagged 39 rebounds compared to Maine’s 27 helped the Seawolves take home the victory, sweeping Maine for the year.
Maine’s next game will be at home on Wednesday, Feb. 24, where the Black Bears will be facing off against the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
