On Nov. 19, the University of Maine men’s basketball team came up short in a narrow 72–65 loss to Merrimack College.
The Black Bears and the Warriors traded small leads to open the game. Fourth-year guard Ryan Mabrey powered the Black Bears in the early stages, scoring five points in the first seven minutes. Maine held the game within one possession, until Merrimack jumped ahead by four points around the 10 minute mark of the first half.
The Black Bears would then battle back, and used the short game to their advantage to mount a 7-0 run led by fourth-year forward Keelan Steele. UMaine would take a three point lead around the seven minute mark, and extend that to six before losing hold, going into halftime with a losing score of 34-27. Merrimack had third-year forward KC Ugwuakazi to thank for that, who scored twice in the final minute and a half.
Maine struggled from three in the first half, shooting just one of four on their attempts, but this is no surprise to Merrimack’s defense. Their head coach Joe Gallo runs an unconventional “4-1” zone, forcing opposing offenses to funnel the ball under the rim, while rotating multiple players to guard the perimeter. This scheme brought Merrimack to a top 25 finish in defensive rating nationally last season.
The first half, which the Black Bears have struggled with throughout this season, did display a bright spot with an above average FG%, where Maine shot 50% from the floor.
To begin the second period, Merrimack came out firing to extend the lead to 12. The Warriors’ first-year guard Kevair Kennedy dished an assist that led to a three, as well as a layup of his own to orchestrate the early run. Following that surge, a sloppy turnover forced Maine’s head coach Chris Markwood to use an early timeout and rally the troops.
After a few more minutes of the teams trading buckets, Maine finally got a hold on how to break Merrimack’s pesky 4-1 zone defense. UMaine played their best two minutes of basketball yet this season, catapulting themselves back into the game with an 11-0 run.
Popular first-year forward Ace Flagg showed signs of life in this stretch, drawing a foul on Merrimack’s’ Ernest Shelton during a 3-point jumper, and he would go on to sink all three shots from the line. Ultimately, though, it was another first-year, guard Bashir N’Galang, who forced a turnover, found third year guard Isaac Bonilla open for a three that would tie the game.
Coincidentally, the Black Bears then played two of the worst minutes of basketball they have displayed this year, scoring zero points and allowing the Warriors to jump out to a five-point lead, with just 10 minutes remaining.
Merrimack held the lead by a few points in the final stretch, while whittling down the clock. But it was not all bad, as graduate forward transfer TJ Biel scored six points in crunch time to keep Maine close, but his team-high 18 points would not be enough to secure a Black Bear win.
Maine will look to bounce back this Sunday against Brown, who hold a 1-5 record. This will be UMaine’s second home game, and the squad will tip off at 2 p.m. at The Pit.
