ORONO, Maine -- After a week off for the holidays, the Maine Black Bears resume their road trip with a stop at New York City to play Columbia on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. at Levien Gymnasium in Maine's final non-conference bout of the season. Fans can watch online with a subscription to the Ivy League Network.
 

WATCH (ILN)

LISTEN

Live Stats

Game Notes

  LAST TIME OUT: After a slow start in the first half, the Maine Black Bears finished the game on a 32-9 run, but ultimately fell to UMass, 74-63 at the Mullins Center on Dec. 22. The Black Bears outscored the Minutemen 48-34 over the final 20 minutes. Ilija Stojiljkovic led Maine with team-highs of 11 points (5-6 FG) and six rebounds. He scored all 11 of his points in the final seven minutes and 16 seconds of the second half.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's matchup between the Black Bears and Lions marks the sixth time that the two programs have met. Last season, Columbia bested Maine 98-73 on Jan. 2, 2017 at the Cross Insurance Center. Danny Evans led Maine with 16 points (5-8 FG), and also brought down five rebounds. Maine holds wins over Columbia in the first meeting on Dec. 28, 1959 (77-66) and on Dec. 30, 2009 when the Black Bears earned a 65-59 win at Levien Gymnasium. In 2009, Maine overcame a 33-24 halftime deficit, outscoring Columbia 41-26 in the final 20 minutes to earn the victory in New York City. Four Black Bears reached double-figures, led by Sean McNally's 16 points and seven rebounds.
 
A LOOK AT COLUMBIA: The Lions enter Saturday's contest on a nine game losing skid, with Columbia's lone win coming against Longwood on Nov. 14. While the Lion's have struggled in the win column, the Ivy League team has played tough competition, including a matchup with current No. 1 Villanova (75-60), Penn State (79-65), UConn (77-73 OT), America East leader UAlbany (86-82), and Boston College (81-66). Mike Smith ranks second best in the Ivy League and 54th nationally in points per game, averaging 19.5 per contest. Like Maine, Columbia shoots the 3-pointer often, as the Lions rank 25th in the country with 10.5 3-pointers per game. Lukas Meisiner, who missed Columbia's last game against Boston College on Dec. 12, leads the Lions with 6.9 rebounds per game. 
 
RECORD WATCH: Aaron Calixte sunk both of his free throw attempts against UMass on Dec. 22 to tie Skip Chappell's 57-year old record of 32 consecutive free throws made in the 1960-61 season. The steak has spanned over the past nine games, which started after Calixte missed his first attempt in the second half against Quinnipiac on Nov. 26. The redshirt junior is now shooting 92 percent on the season from the charity stripe, which leads the America East and ranks 20th nationally.
 
CLEANING THE GLASS: As a team, the Black Bears rank 57th of 351 teams nationally in total rebounds, with 508 on the season. Maine shares the wealth on the glass, as Andrew Fleming is the only player that averages at least five boards per game with 5.3 per contest. Ilker Er (4.8) and Ilija Stojiljkovic (4.6) each average over four rebounds per game.
 
GETTING IT DONE ON THE DEFENSIVE END: Among America East teams, Maine ranks second best in the conference in field goal percentage defense (43.4 percent) and 3-point field goal defense (32.9 percent). Maine opens conference play on Jan. 3 at Stony Brook.
 
FINISHING STRONG: In Maine's last game against UMass, the Black Bears trailed the Minutemen by 34 points with 12 minutes left. Maine did not give up, ending the game on an impressive 32-9 run. During the run, Maine made 12 of their final 17 shots from the field, while only allowing UMass to make two of their final 14 field goal attempts. Over the last five games, Maine is outscoring the opposition 199-187 in the second half to finish games strong.
 
A-10 SUCCESS: In three games against Atlantic 10 foes (Fordham, Saint Joseph's, UMass) this season, the Black Bears hung with each team, and outscored two of the A-10 foes in a half. Maine outscored Fordham 28-26 in the first half and forced overtime against the Rams on Dec. 2. Against Saint Joseph's on Dec. 17, the Black Bears got off to a hot start, and held a late lead in the first half before the Hawks brought a 30-27 lead at the half. Maine came within seven points of Saint Joseph's late in the second half, but the Hawks went on to win 72-59. At UMass on Dec. 22, Maine got off to a slow start, but finished the game on a 32-9 run, outscoring the Minutemen 48-34 in the second half. Overall, Maine outscored Atlantic 10 foes 112-110 in the second half of the three games, and out-rebounded them by a combined 116-111.
 
UP NEXT: Following Saturday's game, the Black Bears open America East play with a trip to Stony Brook on Jan. 3. Maine's first game of 2018 is slated to tipoff at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN 3.
 
-UMaine-