University of Maine
Holy Cross
Men's Basketball Drops Tight One-Point Decision at Holy Cross
12/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
WORCESTER, Mass. -- Aaron Calixte's 3-pointer as the clock struck zero in the second half cut Holy Cross' lead to just one but the Crusaders' escaped Monday evening's basketball meeting with a 76-75 victory over the Black Bears.
Maine featured five-scorers in double-figures, led by Troy Reid-Knight who matched a career-high with 15 points. Lavar Harewood and Kevin Little each tallied 12 points while Aaron Calixte (11) and Till Gloger (10) rounded out Maine's double-digit scorers.
The Black Bears went 30-for-64 (46.9%) from the floor, tallying 10 makes from 3-point range; the second time it's reached double-figures from beyond the arc this season.
Robert Champion paced the Crusaders with 20 points while Matt Husek added a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Holy Cross jumped out to a seven point lead early when Karl Charles' bucket gave it an early 11-4 lead.
Maine refused to go down early, fighting back with a 14-6 sprint to take its first lead of the game on a fastbreak lay-in from Shaun Lawton midway through the first half.
The Crusaders ran their lead back up to seven with 7:41 to play in the half.
Maine responded with a 11-4 run, capped on Gloger's make to knot the score at 31-all.
Holy Cross closed with a 5-0 run to take a 36-31 lead into the break and opened by holding Maine scoreless over the first 3:02 of the second, taking a 13-point lead early in the second half.
Maine's offense came alive, closing the gap to five on a 24-16 run capped by a 3-pointer from Harewood with 9:12 to play. The lead was cut all the way down to a pair when Lawton pulled down an offensive board and went back up strong for a pair as Maine trailed 69-67 with 1:51 remaining.
With under 30-second remaining and Maine trailing by four, Calixte sprinted down court for a quick layup to cut the lead to two. Following a Holy Cross free throw, the Crusaders, leading by three, fouled Lawton. The Maine senior hit 1-of-2 before the Black Bears were forced to foul again. A pair of Holy Cross free throw makes by Husek gave it a four point lead with only three-seconds left. Calixte's last second three cut the lead to one but it was too late as Holy Cross escaped with a 76-75 win.
Maine hosts Quinnipiac on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. For tickets, please visit GoBlackBears.com or the Cross Insurance Center box office.
-UMaine-
