The University of Maine men’s basketball team shined in its regular season finale on Tuesday at Memorial Gymnasium, besting No. 2 Massachusetts-Lowell 71-65 with the help of 27 points from senior forward Peter Filipovity.
The crafty, 6-foot-7 Hungarian scored eight of UMaine’s first 10 points on Tuesday night, helping UMaine take an early 30-20 lead. In the second half, the River Hawks gradually crept back in front, 50-47, but Filipovity responded with 11 of UMaine’s final 24 points to seal it.
The River Hawks (11-5 in-Conference; 20-9 overall) had previously defeated Maine (7-9 in-Conference; 15-16 overall) by a combined 45 points in their last two meetings, including an 85-54 throttling in the America East tournament quarterfinals last March.
“It feels good. That score’s in our locker room, hung up, just as a reminder of what we’re playing for,” junior guard Kellen Tynes said. “We wanted our getback. Peter’s an all-league guy for sure; he has a nose for the ball. He’s a menace.”
Filipovity’s 27 points on 13-for-19 shooting were a career high, featuring four points off steals and two buckets through contact. The Black Bears shot just 42 percent from the field on Tuesday, but with Filipovity’s leadership UMaine managed 42 points in the paint and 17 points off 12 steals.
From beyond the arc, UMaine shot 4-for-20 while UMass-Lowell went 7-for-19, but the Black Bears’ final 3-pointer was potentially their most important bucket of the night. Up 65-61 and riding a 6-0 run, UMaine fifth-year Ja’Shonte Wright-McLeish beat his man with a crossover and then a step-back three, sealing the victory with 1:21 remaining and sending The Pit into hysterics.
“It was just clicking. Nobody was forcing shots, we were just rolling,” Filipovity said of UMaine’s terrific start and finish on Tuesday. “Most of Lowell’s players are seniors; they’re a good team. We made some runs, but they made some runs too and they kept coming back. [But] we play pretty good basketball in The Pit. We fought hard.”
The Black Bears finished 5-1 at Memorial Gymnasium in America East play, and 8-2 on the year. To UMaine’s chagrin, Tuesday night’s game will be the last it plays at The Pit this season, considering the America East tournament quarterfinals begin on Saturday.
The tournament is structured as a single elimination bracket, with the higher seeds hosting each round of the playoffs. As the No. 6 seed, UMaine is scheduled to play No. 3 Bryant — with whom they split the season series, but lost to on the road — away at a time to be announced.
A victory would be the first playoff win for the Black Bears since 2004-05, back when head coach Chris Markwood was captaining the team as a senior. Three straight victories, and the Black Bears punch their ticket to March Madness for the first time in program history.
“It’s every kid’s dream to get to that NCAA tournament; you’re getting everybody’s best shot,” Markwood said. “It’s what we signed up for. We’ve got to be willing to put ourselves out there in these pressure situations. It’s gonna come down to who can play harder and execute better — nobody wants to go home.”
