BANGOR, Maine –The Maine Black Bears men's basketball team opened up the 2017-18 slate with a 84-63 win over Husson in a preseason exhibition at the Cross Insurance Center on Saturday afternoon. Five Black Bears reached double-figures in scoring in the win.
 
Isaiah White, a transfer from Harford Community College, impressed in his preseason debut, finishing with 17 points on 7-13 shooting, including 3-5 from beyond the arc. White also recorded four steals, three rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes played.
 
Sophomore Andrew Fleming picked up where he left off last season, as the 2016-17 America East all-rookie shot 4-of-5 from the field, and made all four free throws he attempted for a total of 13 points. Fleming caromed five boards and was one of four Black Bears with four assists.
 
Ilker Er recorded a double-double, as the senior brought down a game-high 12 rebounds, and tallied 10 points, along with two steals. Trae Bryant, a transfer from Cape Fear Community College, also reached double-figures in scoring, finishing with 10 points on 4-7 shooting. Bryant contributed four assists, four rebounds, and two steals in 22 minutes of work.
 
Maine nearly shot 50 percent from the field as a team (31-63), and made 42.9 percent of three-point attempts (9-21). The Black Bears excelled behind the charity-strike, knocking down 13 of 14 free throws. Maine dominated the paint, outscoring the Eagles 42-16.
 
The Black Bear defense forced Husson to shoot only 31.1 percent all game, while limiting long-distance opportunities to just an even 31 percent. Husson's Raheem Anderson led all scorers with 24 points, on 9-20 shooting.
 
The teams battled back-and-forth early on, as the Black Bears took a lead at 7-6, and did not trail for the remaining of the game. Isaiah White led the way in the first half with 10 of his 17 points coming in the first 20 minutes.
 
Maine increased it's lead to 20-10 with 11 minutes left, and the lead would reach as high as 15, with the halftime score was 44-29. The Black Bears did not let up after the intermission, increasing its' lead up to 25 with five minutes to go at 74-49. Maine finished the game with a 21-point advantage at 84-63.
 
One more preseason game is on the docket for the men's basketball team, taking on St. Joseph's College of Maine on November 5, at Memorial Gym on campus in Orono. Game time is slated for 2:00 p.m.
 
-UMaine-