Sophomore forward Stephane Ingo sank four free throws in the final 35 seconds on Sunday afternoon to lift the University of Maine men’s basketball team to a 45-41 America East victory over New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey.
The Highlanders (4-4, 4-3 AE) won Saturday’s game 63-54.
UMaine (2-5, 2-4 AE) built a 30-23 lead in the second half but the Highlanders rattled off a 10-2 run to take a one-point lead.
The lead seesawed until Precious Okoh’s only 3-pointer of the game, coming with 1:36 left, broke a 37-37 tie and gave UMaine the lead for good.
Ingo’s two free throws with 35 seconds left expanded the lead to five.
San Antonio Brinson’s two free throws with 25 seconds left sliced the deficit to three and after two missed free throws by UMaine’s LeChaun DuHart, Dylan O’Hearn missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 15 seconds left and Ingo grabbed the rebound.
He was fouled and made two clinching foul shots with 13 seconds remaining.
DuHart finished with a game-high 15 points to go with five rebounds. Ingo netted 10 points along with a game-high 12 rebounds and six blocked shots. Okoh wound up with nine points and Blue Hill’s Taylor Schildroth chipped in with five points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Brinson and Souleymane Diakite scored 10 points each to lead the Highlanders. Diakite grabbed eight rebounds and Brinson collected seven. Diego Willis produced eight points and four rebounds.
UMaine held NJIT to 25 percent shooting from the floor, including a 1-for-17 showing beyond the 3-point arc.
It was NJIT’s lowest point total of the season. It previously scored 60 points twice.
UMaine travels to Vermont for afternoon games on Saturday and Sunday.