ORONO, Maine – After holding a slim 35-33 lead at halftime, the Maine Black Bears men's basketball team outscored Saint Joseph's College of Maine by a 31-21 margin in the second half to secure a 66-54 victory at Memorial Gym on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Andrew Fleming led the Black Bears in points (17), rebounds (11), and assists (5), in a double-double performance.
 
"Give Saint Joe's credit," said head coach Bob Walsh. "I thought they controlled the edge of the game. The good news is in the second half we took a deep breath, we relaxed, and we got back to being who we are. We controlled the game after halftime, especially on the defensive end."
 
Fleming shot 7-12 from the field, and converted 3-4 free throw opportunities from the charity strike to lead Maine to victory.
 
Walsh was impressed with Fleming's performance.
 
"Andrew has played very well, but we have a very high ceiling for him," continued Walsh. "We think he can be a terrific player. We want him to step up and becomes the motor for this team when we need somebody to get us going."
 
Vernon Lowndes Jr., a transfer from USC Salkehatchie, recorded 12 points, on an efficient 5-6 shooting, including 2-3 from beyond the 3-point arc. 
 
The Black Bears led in the rebound column by a significant margin of 55-28, with 19 rebounds coming on the offensive end. Maine capitalized on the extra opportunities with 19 second-chance points. In the paint, the Black Bears dominated the Monks, earning 32 points, while allowing 14.
 
The Monks came out of the gate firing, taking a 7-3 lead early on, but Maine fought back to tie the contest at 9-9 with four points by Fleming and a layup from Lowndes Jr. The two teams would trade baskets as the Black Bears would take its' first lead of the game at 13-12 after Miks Antoms made a layup.
 
Maine would hold a slim advantage for several minutes, but the Monks did not let up, taking a 27-26 lead with 1:39 left in the first half. The Black Bears took the lead for the moment after a three-pointer from Lowndes Jr., but Saint Joe's took a 33-32 advantage a minute later. Trae Bryant nailed a three-pointer with 17 seconds left in the first half to give Maine a 35-33 halftime lead.
 
The Black Bears regrouped following the intermission, limiting St. Joe's offense to just 27.6 percent (8-29) on field goal chances. Maine never trailed after halftime, expanding its' lead to as high as 19 with a 58-39 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
 
In total, 10 of the 13 Black Bears that participated registered points, with Maine's bench outscoring Saint Joe's 28-16. In both preseason games this season, the Black Bears excelled in converting free throw opportunities, with Maine shooting 80 percent (12-15) in today's game.

Maine opens the regular season this Friday, as the Black Bears travel south to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to face Boston College. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Conte Forum. For the latest news and updates, follow @BlackBearMBB on Twitter, and visit goblackbears.com.
 
-UMaine-