BANGOR, Maine — On paper, there is a big disparity between the University of Maine and the University of Vermont men’s basketball programs this season.
On the basketball court at the Cross Insurance Center on Thursday night, the difference didn’t appear that great.
But while the Black Bears battled back in the second half, the Catamounts were able to make a final surge to earn a 90-77 America East victory.
Vermont (11-5), picked by league coaches to win the title this season, had to survive a determined effort by an undermanned UMaine ballclub (4-12) to win its conference opener.
The Catamounts shot an efficient 63 percent from the field (36-for-57) and hit seven 3-pointers while placing four players in double figures. Kurt Steidl paced a balanced effort with 20 points on the way to the 1,000th of his career.
Trae Bell-Haynes tallied 15 points with five assists, Anthony Lamb scored 15 points, and Darren Payen netted 12 for Vermont.
Wes Myers headed the charge for coach Bob Walsh’s Black Bears, pouring in 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting. Ryan Bernstein logged 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals, and Aaron Calixte and Austin Howard provided 11 points each.
UMaine shot 48 percent from the floor and converted 14 of 15 free throws (93 percent).
The difference in this game was the Black Bears’ inability to defend near the rim. They were able to get Vermont out of its comfort zone with full-court zone pressure in the second half, but the Catamounts were still able to attack the rim with impunity, especially when they beat the press.
UMaine came out with fire in its eyes and rattled off nine straight points early in the second half to trim a 10-point halftime deficit to three.
As Vermont struggled a bit with turnovers, Myers and Calixte initiated the offense off the dribble. Myers scored seven points during a 12-2 surge that gave the hosts a short-lived 63-62 lead on a Marko Pirovic 3-pointer with 9:18 remaining.
But the Catamounts played better defense down the stretch in their zone and efficiently scored 22 points in the final 5:16. UMaine was within 80-77 after a Myers 3 with 2:19 to play, but Steidl drove in for a basket that kicked off a game-ending 10-0 run that put it out of reach.
The Black Bears forged into conference play without the services of freshman forward Andrew Fleming of South Paris, junior guard Ilker Er, sophomore forward Ilija Stojiljkovic, and senior guards Troy Reid-Knight and Garet Beal of Beals Island.
All are nursing injuries, with Er and Reid-Knight already sidelined for the rest of the season.
The Catamounts took advantage of their superior length and some crisp passing to build a 46-36 halftime advantage.
Vermont shot 58 percent from the floor (19-for-33) by attacking the UMaine defense in the paint and along the baseline. The visitors exhibited a lot of high-low action, moving the ball from the high post to the baseline and vice versa.
That opened the door for Payen to use his 6-foot-8 frame and long arms to score efficiently close to the basket. He went 6-for-6 in the half, including two dunks. He logged only 10 minutes.
Steidl and Cam Ward each hit two 3-pointers to provide a perimeter presence for the Catamounts.
Defensively, Vermont played a lot of zone in an attempt to force UMaine to shoot from outside. The Black Bears shot a solid 46 percent (13-for-28) but did much of their damage from the paint as guards Myers and Bernstein attacked the basket off the dribble.
Myers scored 12 points, and Bernstein tallied 10.
Vermont outrebounded UMaine only 18-14, but it did a better job taking care of the ball by committing only three turnovers to the Black Bears’ seven. The visitors turned those miscues into 15 points with effective transition play.
The Catamounts pulled in front with a 12-0 surge midway through the half. Ward got it started with a 3-pointer, and Steidl followed with a conventional three-point play off a baseline drive.
Payen then scored three consecutive hoops — a dunk off a Steidl feed, a close-range basket courtesy of an Ernie Duncan pass in transition and the last on a baseline layup off a Nate Rohrer assist that gave Vermont a 38-27 lead with 5:56 remaining in the half.