University of Maine
Siena
Men's Basketball Falls to Siena in ESPN Sears BracketBusters Game
2/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The University of Maine men's basketball team fell in an ESPN Sears BracketBusters game at Siena by the score of 71-60 on Saturday evening at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. With the loss, Maine falls to 14-13 on the year while Siena moves to 11-16. Maine was led by America East Player of the Game Troy Barnies (Auburn, Maine) who had 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Black Bears opened the game with an 11-7 lead, and Terrance Mitchell's (Milton, Fla.) fastbreak layup would give the Black Bears a six-point edge five minutes into the half.
The Saints came back to tie the game at 15, but Gerald McLemore (San Diego, Calif.) would make a jumper from the corner to take back the lead. The teams would exchange baskets and be tied at 25 with just under six minutes left before a Malachi Peay (Brooklyn, N.Y.) free throw put the Black Bears up one.
Siena responded to go up one, but Mike Allison (Lynden, Ontario) would have a dunk to put Maine on top as Peay would steal the ball underneath the basket and before finding an open Allison.
Maine got a stop before Mitchell made a three and got a steal on the defensive end to make it 31-27 Black Bears. Maine would limit Siena to one free throw before Raheem Singleton (Boston, Mass.) went the length of the court and made a layup with no time left to give Maine a 33-28 lead into halftime.
Maine was led by McLemore and Mitchell who had seven points each and Barnies who had six points and six rebounds.
Maine shot 46.7 percent in the first half while holding Siena to 37.0 percent.
In the second half, the Saints would open up on a run to take a 43-35 lead six minutes in. A Barnies jumper two minutes later would cut it to 45-39 Siena, but the Saints responded to increase it to 57-41 with a little over seven minutes left.
Barnies would hit back-to-back jumpers to close the lead to 12, and after two Saint free throws, Peay would get the ball down low and hang in the air while making a tough layup right in front of the basket while getting fouled. He would make the free throw to cut the lead to 11 at 59-48 with over four minutes left.
A Sean McNally (Gardiner, Maine) free throw would cut the lead to 10, and following a Siena three-pointer, a Peay bucket and foul cut it back to 10.
Singleton made a layup to make it an eight-point game, and Barnies followed with a pair of free throws to make it 62-56 with just under two minutes to play.
However, the Saints would make a jumper and sink free throws the rest of the way to put the game just out of reach of the Black Bears.
