The University of Maine men’s basketball team had its 2023-24 season come to a disappointing end on Saturday afternoon, getting blown away 84-58 at Bryant University in Rhode Island in the first round of the America East tournament.
The No. 3 Bulldogs (11-5 in conference) and No. 6 Black Bears (7-9 in conference) had previously split the season series 1-1, but the 3-point shooting discrepancy on Saturday was too much for UMaine to overcome.
Led by junior guard Rafael Pinzon (6-for-8 from three, career-high 35 points), Bryant torched UMaine from beyond the arc on Saturday, knocking down 11 of its 17 3-point attempts and 32 of its 55 total field goal attempts. Meanwhile, UMaine shot just 6-for-22 from three, and a dismal 19-for-59 overall.
“We weren’t able to let our identity shine. For whatever reason, we weren’t ready to compete for all 40 minutes,” UMaine second-year head coach Chris Markwood said. “When you let really good offensive players get going early, it’s going to be a rough night.
“They played us soft and packed the paint, but we didn’t shoot the ball well. If you don’t execute offensively, on the road and against a team like that, they’re going to play fast in transition offenses. Smart game-planning by them.”
It was Bryant’s first America East playoff win in two years as a member school, and the Black Bears’ 18th consecutive playoff loss. The Black Bears last advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament in 2004-05, when Markwood was captaining the team as a senior.
The underdog Black Bears started out strong in the first half, using two offensive rebounds from fifth-year Adam Cisse and 3-pointers from guards Kellen Tynes and Jaden Clayton to take an 8-4 lead three minutes into play. But Bryant wouldn’t be kept quiet for long, rattling off seven 3-pointers over the next 10 minutes — including four from junior guard Rafael Pinzon — to reclaim a 37-25 lead late in the first half.
Coming out of halftime down 47-36, the Black Bears went on an interesting 7-0 run to cut the deficit to just four, before Pinzon and company responded once again.
On offense, Pinzon and senior guard Doug Edert (seven points) each buried threes, and the Bulldogs’ primary threat in senior Sherif Gross-Bullock (12 points, nine rebounds, six assists) converted on a few tough buckets around the rim. Meanwhile, UMaine’s offense began to sputter, failing to eclipse 50 points until the 33-minute mark.
Up 66-46, the Bulldogs continued to attack relentlessly, draining two more threes and blocking four shots to expand their lead to 81-54 with 2:12 remaining.
“We had opportunities to put ourselves in good spots — we had open shots, defensive opportunities, offensive rebounds we couldn’t squeeze — we just didn’t make enough plays across the board. It’s frustrating,” Markwood said. “In those last 14 minutes, we couldn’t spark anything up.”
UMaine conceded six blocked shots, six steals and three unforced turnovers on Saturday afternoon. On defense, the Black Bears stole the ball 10 times but managed only nine fast break points.
Senior forward Peter Filipovity was UMaine’s lone double-digit scorer on Saturday, tallying 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting, plus six rebounds and two assists. Tynes and Clayton combined to shoot 5-for-14, and UMaine’s bench shot 6-for-23.
Clayton, on the court for 38 minutes, was the only Black Bear to play more than 30 minutes, while Bryant had four players (Gross-Bullock, Pinzon, senior guard Tyler Breslford, junior forward Daniel Rivera) play 32 minutes or more. UMaine’s bench played a total of 64 minutes, compared with Bryant’s 34.
Markwood said he didn’t consider tightening the rotation before or during the game.
“That’s the normal amount of minutes for all those guys. That’s how we play,” Markwood said. “We shot [32 percent] as a team. You’re searching for answers when guys can’t get going.”
Moving forward, Markwood said the team will take time off for spring break, before picking spring workouts back up next week.
“We’ll have end-of-the-year meetings with every kid on the roster — not just the ones with one year of eligibility left — and go from there,” Markwood said. “In terms of big picture things, losing the game like this is never fun, but that’s not going to be the determining factor for what anybody’s plans are.”
