BANGOR, Maine — There have been many instances this season where the University of Maine did not execute in key situations.
On Saturday afternoon, the Black Bears stepped up and made enough plays to come out on top.
Troy Reid-Knight, Kevin Little and Zarko Valjarevic each sank two free throws during the final 15.3 seconds, helping UMaine hang on for a 67-64 America East men’s basketball victory over Binghamton at the Cross Insurance Center.
“It was a gutsy, tough win and hopefully our guys understand we’re tough enough to make those plays and to win games like that,” said head coach Bob Walsh, whose Black Bears watched a 12-point, second-half lead dwindle to one, but were able to prevent the Bearcats from getting over the hump.
Freshman guard Little sparked UMaine (3-21, 2-9 AE) with 21 points and six rebounds, including a pivotal 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining.
Junior Shaun Lawton contributed 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals, Valjarevic finished with nine points and four assists and Christian Ejiga provided six points and six rebounds.
“They fought back and we responded,” Lawton said. “To get a win, that’s always a good feeling, especially the way the season’s gone. It hasn’t been the outcome lately, but it shows a lot about this group.”
Binghamton (4-22, 3-8 AE) was paced by Willie Rodriguez’s 18 points and seven rebounds, along with 18 points and six assists from Marlon Beck II. Romello Walker added 11 points.
UMaine shot 48 percent from the field and went 16-for-17 from the foul line while outrebounding the Bearcats 30-26.
Binghamton shot 44 percent, including 52 percent in the second half, but could not overcome the double-digit deficit.
“I know both teams have had tough seasons and both teams came in here today really needing a win,” said Binghamton coach Tommy Dempsey. “They played better than we did and they deserved to win.”
The Bears led 53-41 with eight minutes left when Binghamton made its move. Beck sandwiched two free throws and a 3-pointer around a 3 by Walker during an 8-0 burst that cut the deficit to four points in a span of 2:03.
UMaine became stagnant and a bit careless on offense while contending with 2-2-1 full-court pressure and the Bearcats’ 2-3 zone. The hosts committed four turnovers in four minutes.
“They got us on our heels and we weren’t aggressive enough to start our offense in the attack area,” Walsh said.
The visitors eventually cut UMaine’s lead to 57-56 on a Walker 3 and a foul-line jumper by Rodriguez with 2:32 to play.
Ejiga, a sophomore, turned in a critical defensive play inside the two-minute mark. Walker drove into the paint only to encounter the 6-foot-8 forward, who blocked the shot and grabbed the rebound.
“I don’t know what happens mentally if they take the lead,” Walsh said. “That’s a whole different ballgame and Christian made a huge help play.”
After the teams traded foul shots, the Black Bears came up big.
UMaine appeared to be scrambling when Lawton drove into the paint and fired a pass outside to Little, who had air-balled his previous shot. This time, his 3-pointer got all net, extending the lead to 61-57 with 40 seconds left.
“The confidence comes from Shaun and everybody else constantly driving and kicking to me, that they believe in me,” Little said. “Shaun could have laid the ball up, but I was calling his name and he just trusted me to knock the shot down.”
That set up a tense finish, especially after Rodriguez hit a 3 to make it 63-62 with 8.3 seconds to go, but Little and Valjarevic made their foul shots to preserve the winning margin.
“We were really struggling there for a while, yet down the stretch we still made the plays we needed to make to win and I’m really proud of that,” Walsh said.
The Black Bears surged into the locker room at halftime after outscoring Binghamton 13-1 over the last five minutes to build a 37-24 advantage.
The hosts rattled off 11 unanswered points during their closing burst, with Lawton (six points) and Valjarevic (five) leading the way at the offensive end.
UMaine limited the Bearcats to 36 percent shooting (9-for-25), including 1-for-10 from long range. Binghamton also had eight turnovers, which resulted in nine points for the Bears.
UMaine was efficient on offense, making 15 of 28 shots (54 percent) behind 10 points each from Little and Lawton.
Ejiga also provided a solid inside presence with six points and three rebounds in 13 minutes.