The University of Maine men’s basketball team appeared to be primed to head into the Christmas weekend with a victory on Thursday, having put together a strong first-half effort against Brown University.
But Steven Spieth and his teammates caught fire in the second half.
Spieth, brother of professional golfer Jordan Spieth, erupted for 21 second-half points as Brown went on to defeat the Black Bears 82-77 in Providence, Rhode Island.
Coach Bob Walsh’s UMaine club enters the Christmas holiday 4-9 while Brown improves to 8-5.
Spieth would finish with 27 points, leading four Brown players in double figures, as Tavon Blackmon added 16, JR Hobbie 15 and Travis Fuller 11.
Fuller also had 10 rebounds while Spieth had eight rebounds and four assists.
UMaine freshman Andrew Fleming of South Paris had his second double-double in as many nights, scoring a career-high 23 points while grabbing 14 rebounds. Wes Myers (16 points), Austin Howard (14) and Marko Pirovic (11) were the other Black Bears in double figures.
Brown, the top-scoring team in the Ivy League, blitzed UMaine to the tone of 55-37 in the second half. The Bears never trailed after Hobbie’s 3-pointer just past the halfway mark.
“They took the edge of the game to us and really attacked,” Walsh told Learfield’s Ron Lisnet. “They had us on our heels from the get-go. We’ve got to do a better job handling a lead at halftime and understand how hard it is to win.”
Even though an 18-2 Brown run would give the Bears control, the Black Bears roared back to life late in the second half, closing within two (73-71) on a Wes Myers 3-pointer with just under over two minutes remaining in regulation.
However, a free throw and a follow-up basket by Travis Fuller gave Brown a five-point advantage with a minute to play.
UMaine would not get back to within a possession the rest of the way.
“Our defense has to be better,” Walsh said.
Perimeter shooting and free throws proved to be monumental differences for Brown, as the Bears shot 11-for-26 from behind the arc and 27-36 from the foul line.
“The guy guarding the shooter wasn’t necessarily at fault, but our rotations were late,” Walsh said.
The Black Bears would end the opening half on a 25-12 run to establish its halftime lead.
The contest was close throughout the opening eight minutes, but Pirovic’s perimeter shot with just under 12 minutes to go jump-started UMaine’s scoring surge.
