ORONO — Coming off Monday’s win at Boston Faculty, the query for the College of Maine males’s basketball staff was this: Are the Black Bears a one-hit surprise, or a much-improved staff?
After a 93-70 win Friday evening in opposition to Columbia in entrance of 889 followers in The Pit, it’s protected to say the Black Bears are improved, and if nothing else, will play with depth and energy.
“Our first couple video games, we have been nonetheless getting a really feel for one another, and we had some gradual begins. Enjoying at dwelling, it was an incredible environment in The Pit tonight, and that gave us a bit of additional enhance. It was about beginning sturdy and sustaining the lead from there,” stated Maine level guard Kellen Tynes.
Maine, which went 6-23 final season, improved to 3-1. The modest three-game profitable streak started with a victory over UMaine-Fort Kent, a college that competes in america Collegiate Athletic Affiliation somewhat than the NCAA. The wins over Boston Faculty and Columbia gave Maine its first back-to-back victories over Division I opponents since America East Convention wins over UMBC and Hartford to shut the 2019-20 common season.
Friday’s win additionally was Maine’s largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent since that 74-48 win over UMBC on Feb. 29, 2020.
“I assumed our guys performed actually exhausting. It wasn’t an ideal recreation by any means. We have been a bit of bit patchy defensively, however we obtained sufficient stops and we have been capable of flip these stops into straightforward factors in transition,” stated Chris Markwood, Maine’s first-year head coach.
5 Black Bears scored in double figures. Tynes led Maine with 21 factors, Peter Filipovity added 17, and Jayden Clayton and Gedi Juozapaitis every scored 16. Ja’Shonte Wright-McLeish chipped in 11 factors for the Black Bears, who shot 62.5% from the sector (35 for 56), together with 11 for 18 from 3-point vary.
“All people will get touches. It’s a circulation offense, learn and react. We sort of simply learn off one another. The extra we play with one another, the higher our offense goes to be,” Tynes stated.
The offensive stat that the majority happy Markwood was 19 assists. Clayton’s seven assists led the Black Bears.
“That’s obtained to be the identification of our staff offensively. We’ve obtained loads of guys who can put the ball within the basket. We’ve simply obtained to maintain taking pictures at a excessive stage. Once you get 19 assists, you’re doing one thing proper,” Markwood stated.
Columbia completed with a 31-29 edge in rebounds, together with 14 on the offensive glass, and that led to 17 second-chance factors.
“At occasions, we’re enjoying smaller. We talked about, if we’re going to play small, it should assist us offensively, however we’ve obtained to get nastier on the glass. We’ve obtained to get harder down there. We did it in opposition to BC, and that’s why we gained. We sort of let it slip a bit of tonight, and that’s what stored (Columbia) within the recreation,” Markwood stated.
The Black Bears took the lead for good with a 13-0 run early within the first half. A Juozapaitis 3-pointer tied it at 7-7, and a Clayton bucket put Maine forward.
Maine led by as many as 16 factors within the first half, usually getting out in transition after forcing a turnover. Each Tynes and Filipovity had three steals within the first half. The Black Bears completed with 10 steals and 17 factors off turnovers.
The Lions minimize Maine’s result in 64-52 with just below 10 minutes to play, however the Black Bears closed the sport with a 29-18 run.
Avery Brown led Columbia (1-4) with 17 factors.
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