NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – After falling behind late in the first half, the Maine Black Bears could not come back from the early deficit, dropping a road matchup to Central Connecticut State, 84-57 at Detrick Gymnasium. With the loss, Maine drops to 3-10 on the season, while Central Connecticut State climbs to 6-6.
 
Aaron Calixte was a bright spot for Maine, leading the Black Bears with 16 points. The redshirt sophomore reached double-figures in scoring for the 11^th consecutive game, and for the 12^th time in 13 total games this season.
 
Behind the stripe, Calixte drained all four of his free throws, extending his consecutive free throw mark to 30. Maine's leading scorer on the season needs to convert his next three free throw attempts to break Skip Chappelle's record of 32 consecutive makes in the 1960-61 season.
 
Andrw Fleming totaled nine points, while Miks Antoms dropped in seven, including five from the free throw line. Dennis Ashley added six points, going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Ilker Er grabbed seven rebounds, with four coming on the offensive end to lead Maine off the glass.
 
The Black Bears took care of the ball, turning the ball only eight times during the contest. Maine was averaging 16 turnovers per game entering today's contest.
 
The Blue Devils took an early 8-3 lead, but Antoms recorded his first two points to slash Central Connecticut State's advantage to three. Over the next three and a half minutes, the Blue Devils wen on a 9-2 run to grab a 17-7 lead. The Black Bears fought back to within six at 19-13 after Calixte sunk his first of two 3-pointers with 11 minutes left in the first half.
 
Just as Maine gained momentum, CCSU went on a 5-0 run to take a 23-13 advantage. The Blue Devils' lead hovered around 10 points for the majority of the half, until Calixte connected on another trey to put Maine within nine points at 37-28 with 1:17 left remaining until halftime. During the final minute, CCSU took control with a 7-0 run to take a 44-28 lead at the break.
 
Calixte started the second half scoring with a layup, but CCSU ensued on a 15-5 run to take control of the game with a 59-35 lead. The Blue Devils did not let up pressure for the remaining of the game, earning an 84-57 win.
 
Tyler Kohl led four Blue Devils in double-figures with 18 points and 14 rebounds in a double-double performance.
 
Maine will have a quick turnaround, traveling to former conference foe UMass for a Friday matinee matchup with the Minutemen. Tipoff in Amherst is set for 4:00 p.m. at the Mullins Center.
 
-UMaine-