On Saturday, Feb. 15, the University of Maine men’s basketball team lost to NJIT Highlanders 67-58, extending their losing streak to three games in a row.
The Black Bears struggled early with turnovers, allowing NJIT to jump to an early 8-0 lead. Fourth-year guard Mekhi Gray opened up the scoring for Maine with a layup off a beautiful dish from graduate forward TJ Biel.
Despite the sloppy start, Maine outscored NJIT 33-23 the rest of the half. Maine switched out of the zone defense that was getting picked apart into a traditional man-to-man. With the change, the Black Bears forced turnovers and created opportunities in transition. Second-year forward Amare Allen cut the lead to one with a finish inside, and first-year forward Ace Flagg split a pair of free throws to even the score for the first time since the first minute of play.
Fourth-year guard Ryan Mabrey knocked down a wide-open corner three to give Maine their first lead of the game. NJIT quickly retook the lead with a jaw-dropping dunk by second-year guard Ari Fulton off an alley-oop pass from his first-year backcourt partner David Bolden. Then Logan Carey went nuclear. The third-year guard, who scored 17 of his team-high 20 in the first half, closed the half by making three threes to give Maine a 35-31 lead.
Both teams struggled to get anything going in the opening minutes of the half. Flagg got a steal and finished through contact for a tough bucket to open up the scoring. While the Black Bear defense continued to be stifling early, the offense was not able to capitalize, thanks to turnovers. From the 17:45 mark to the 15:08 mark, Maine turned the ball over four out of their six possessions, allowing NJIT to retake the lead.
Carey tied the game at 40-40 with a smooth mid-range jumper, but turnovers and struggles from behind the three-point line continued to plague them. NJIT’s third-year guard Sebastian Robinson dominated in the second half, scoring 15 of his game-high 23 points. Fulton also continued to be an issue inside, with his guards finding him multiple times for open dunks.
Maine found themselves down 12 with seven minutes left in the game, matching the largest deficit by either team. They found some energy when third-year forward Yanis Bamba subbed in off the bench. The Wichita State transfer scored three points in three minutes and was active on both sides of the ball. On a Maine team that is lacking height, Bamba will be a player to watch during the remainder of the season.
The Black Bears made one final push, highlighted by an and-one layup from Flagg and trips to the free-throw line for Gray and Biel. But the surge came too late to make a dent in NJIT’s sizable lead.
Maine committed 15 turnovers, an all-too-familiar issue in its losses this season. Flagg finished with 11 points, marking the fifth double-digit performance of his freshman campaign. Biel, the team’s leading scorer, was held to just five points by NJIT’s defense.
