Defensive issues have plagued the University of Maine men’s basketball team all season long.
On Wednesday night, the Black Bears were unable to contend with a high-scoring University of Vermont ballclub.
The third-seeded Catamounts shot 68 percent from the field while building a 19-point halftime advantage and ended No. 6 UMaine’s season with a 99-82 America East quarterfinal victory at Patrick Gym in Burlington, Vermont.
“They played terrific and we certainly didn’t guard at a standard that would give us a chance to win,” said coach Bob Walsh, whose Black Bears finish the season at 8-22 while dropping their ninth consecutive contest.
“They’re at a championship level, they have been for a long time and we have to guard a lot better to have a chance to beat a team like that,” he added.
Vermont, which improved to 20-12, earns the right to host a semifinal game on Monday by virtue of Hartford’s upset win over three-time defending conference champion Albany. The Catamounts will entertain No. 4 New Hampshire, which beat Binghamton 56-51.
Behind the 24-point performance of Cam Ward, Vermont torched the Black Bears by shooting 66 percent (38-for-58) from the floor, including 12-for-21 (57 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc.
Ethan O’Day logged a double-double that included 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five blocked shots, five and three steals. Kurt Steidl posted 14 points and nine rebounds, while Ernie Duncan (5 assists) and Trae Bell-Haynes (4 assists) each tossed in 11 points.
The Catamounts scored 48 of their 99 points from inside the paint.
“They had 19 turnovers, but the problem was when we didn’t turn them over, they just got great looks,” Walsh said. “We weren’t able to transition from our pressure to get stops, so they handled it, for the most part. They shot the ball really well.”
Freshman forward Issac Vann carried the offense for UMaine with a game-high 26 points that included 8-for-15 floor shooting and a 9-for-10 effort from the foul line. He also snared seven rebounds.
Sophomore guard Aaron Calixte netted 17 points, senior Shaun Lawton posted nine points, five rebounds and five assists, and Devine Eke (7 rebounds) and Till Gloger added eight points each.
The Black Bears shot 42 percent overall (28-for-66) and made nine 3’s while converting 17 of 22 free throws.
It was the last collegiate contest for UMaine seniors Lawton and Gloger, who helped the program make the transition to a new coaching staff and philosophy after Walsh was hired prior to the 2014-2015 season.
The Catamounts surged in front with a 17-6 burst during a span of four minutes late in the first half.
Already leading 27-20, Ward got the run going with a layup, then Steidl scored from close range. Lawton countered for UMaine with a 3-pointer, but Steidl hit a jumper and Wills scored another layup to make it 35-23 at the 8:22 mark.
Ilija Stojiljkovic answered with a 3 for the Black Bears, but Duncan, Bell-Haynes and Steidl each connected for a 3-pointer as Vermont extended its advantage to 44-26 with 6:22 remaining in the half.
UMaine was forced to fight an uphill battle from that point on. The visitors used a 9-2 surge that included three points from Vann to get the Bears back within 83-70 with 5:21 to play, but Bell-Haynes made a free throw and scored two layups during a 7-0 run that restored the Catamounts’ lead to 20.