Scoring only 19 first-half points, the University of Maine men’s basketball team fell 51-50 to Binghamton University on Saturday afternoon, losing at the Cross Center in Bangor for the second consecutive time this season.
The Black Bears have lost four of their first six America East games, including a 79-74 loss to the University of New Hampshire at the Cross Center on Jan. 11. It was Binghamton’s (1-5) first conference victory of the season.
Down nine coming out of halftime, UMaine quickly ripped off an 11-2 run to make it a one-possession game with 15 minutes to go. From there, the Black Bears and Bearcats exchanged three lead changes, culminating in a pull-up floater from 6-foot-3 senior Symir Torrence (six points, five assists) with 4.8 seconds remaining to win it.
Coming out of a timeout, UMaine junior guard Kellen Tynes raced down the floor and pivoted, looking for inbounder Ja’Shonte Wright-McLeish at the top of the key. The grad student got a decent look, but his shot hit the left side of the rim and bounced away harmlessly as time expired.
“It was a designed play — we want Ja’Shonte to shoot that every single time. He’s the best shooter on our team.” UMaine sophomore point guard Jaden Clayton said. “Especially with only four seconds left, they’re gonna pack the paint. He’ll make it next time.”
Clayton and McLeish converted UMaine’s only two 3-pointers Saturday, with the Black Bears going 16-for-46 from the field (2-for-12 from three). Their 50 points scored was a season low.
Clayton led UMaine with 15 points, including two clutch free throws with 12.9 seconds remaining to take a 50-49 lead and make the home crowd go wild. Senior forward Armon Harried paced the Bearcats’ offense with 15 points and four assists.
“It’s a game you’re gonna want back. We gave ourselves a chance in the end, but they made the bigger play,” second-year head coach Chris Markwood said. “Whether it’s on the road, at the Cross or The Pit, you gotta show up with a certain type of intention. We didn’t play with the force or urgency that we played with the last couple games.”
Binghamton snapped UMaine’s two-game winning streak on Saturday, following Black Bear victories over NJIT and Albany. The Bearcats outscored UMaine in the paint 34-14, and outrebounded UMaine 31-28. Binghamton also won the turnover battle 12-11, and scored four more points off turnovers.
“Offensively, we couldn’t get anything going, and early on it got in our heads a little bit,” Markwood said. “That’s a physical team, and they made things tough for us in the paint. To combat that, you gotta make some shots.”
Next up, UMaine plays UMass-Lowell (5-1 in conference play) away on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., followed by Bryant (5-0) at The Pit on Saturday at 3 p.m. The following week, UMaine will play both New Hampshire (4-3) and Bryant on the road.
