University of Maine
UMBC
Singleton's Free Throws in Overtime Propel Men's Basketball to 77-76 Win Over UMBC
2/4/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BALTIMORE, Md. – Raheem Singleton's (Boston, Mass.) free throws with under seven seconds remaining lifted the University of Maine men's basketball team to a 77-76 overtime victory at UMBC on Saturday. Maine is now 11-10 overall and 5-5 in America East play while UMBC falls to 3-19 and 2-8 in league play.
The Black Bears took an early 8-4 lead after a pair of Justin Edwards (Whitby, Ontario) free throws.
The Retrievers came back and took a 17-16 lead, but Alasdair Fraser (Falkirk, Scotland) answered with a nifty spin move in the low post to convert a layup.
UMBC took a 27-22 lead, but Gerald McLemore (San Diego, Calif.) and Kilian Cato (Espoo, Finland) answered with three-pointers around a UMBC bucket.
With UMBC clinging to a 31-29 lead, Edwards drove from the top of the arc to the basket for a monster tomahawk dunk over a Retriever defender.
UMBC answered to take a 36-33 lead into halftime.
Maine was led by Fraser who had 10 points and four rebounds while McLemore added nine points.
Maine shot 43.8 percent in the first half while UMBC shot 37.9 percent.
UMBC made a pair of free throws to open the second half, but a nice behind the head pass by Edwards to Fraser for a dunk brought Maine within 38-37.
The Retrievers took a 44-39 lead, but Maine got four points from Edwards and a three-pointer from McLemore giving Maine a two-point edge with 14:16 left.
Two more layups by Fraser gave Maine a 50-44 lead with 12 minutes remaining.
McLemore gave Maine a 60-50 lead with 6:38 left, but UMBC caught fire to shrink the lead to 62-58 with just over four minutes left.
The Retrievers got within 66-65 with under two minutes remaining, but Edwards answered with a tough drive and jumper. UMBC made a jumper on the other end, and it was 68-67 Maine with 49 seconds left and the ball.
The Black Bears could not convert and a UMBC free throw tied it at 68, sending the game into overtime.
UMBC scored the first three points, but a McLemore layup from Fraser made it a one-point game.
Fraser got fouled on the other end and made one-of-two, tying the game at 71 with 1:30 left.
Three Retriever free throws gave them a 74-71 lead, but McLemore made a layup to cut it to one.
McLemore then tipped in an Andrew Rogers (Philadelphia, Pa.) shot to make it 76-75 with 10 seconds left. The Black Bears fouled, and UMBC missed both from the charity stripe. Fraser got the rebound and gave it to Singleton who got fouled.
He made both free throws giving Maine the lead. UMBC missed as the buzzer sounded and the Black Bears got the victory.
Fraser was Maine's America East Player of the Game with 21 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
Edwards added 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists while McLemore scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds.
