BANGOR, MAINE – Leading 38-33 at the half, the Hartford Hawks shot 63 percent (17-27) from the field in the final 20 minutes to down Maine 86-68 at the Cross Insurance Center on Thursday night. Aaron Calixte connected on a game high 21-points in the loss.
 
Maine falls to 4-17 overall and 1-5 in conference, while Hartford is now 11-9 and 4-2 in the America East.
 
"We just didn't guard well enough to win", said head coach Bob Walsh after the game. "We were on our heels defensively the whole game. We just aren't going to be capable of winning games with that type of defensive effort." 

"They're a good offensive team, but they came in and shot 56 percent (32-for-57). We have to guard better to win."
 
Calixte shot 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) from the floor, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing three assists in 37 minutes played. The redshirt junior's 10 made field goals is a new career-high.
 
"Aaron is playing terrific night in and night out, and we've got to find him some help," continued Walsh. "We just don't have anybody else consistently stepping up to help him out. It's my job to find it."
 
Vernon Lowndes Jr. and Isaiah White each tallied nine points, while Ilija Stojiljkovic and Ilker Er added in seven a piece. Off the glass, White registered a team-high six boards in the contest.
 
The Black Bears came out of the gate on fire, starting the contest on an 11-0 run in the first three minutes. Andrew Fleming, Calixte, White, and Stojiljkovic, all connected on their first shots of the contest to build the early lead.
 
Maine jumped to a 15-5 lead after Calixte and Stojiljkovic knocked down four points with 14:54 left in the first half. The Hawks clawed back into the contest on a 14-5 run, cutting the Black Bear lead to just one at 20-19 with 8:59 left in the half.
 
Ilker Er notched a layup on the next play to give Maine a three point lead at 22-19, but Hartford would tie the game at 22-22 with 7:39 remaining in the first half. Hartford kept the momentum, ensuing on a 9-2 charge to build a seven-point lead at 31-24 with less than five minutes to play in the first frame.
 
A 3-pointer by Calixte with a minute to go cut Hartford's lead to just three, but the Hawks added in a layup with 38 seconds on the clock to take a 38-33 advantage into the locker room.
 
It was the visitors this time that jumped to an early lead in the half, immediately jumping on an 18-2 sprint after the intermission to extend its lead to 21 points at 56-35. The Black Bears fought back to within 12 at 58-46 after an 11-2 run of their own.
 
The Hawks would not allow their lead to fluctuate below 12 the rest of the way, earning the 86-68 victory for their fourth America East win of the season.
 
On the stat sheet, the Black Bears held advantages in points in the paint (36-32), second chance points (19-13) and blocks (5-4).
 
The Hawks balanced offense featured six double-figure scorers, led by J.R. Lynch's double-double performance of 15 points and 10 assists.
 
Maine is off from game action this weekend, but return to the Cross Insurance Center next Wednesday to take on rival New Hampshire. The Wednesday night tip against the Wildcats is set for 7:00 p.m. in Bangor. Wednesday night also marks Beach Night at the Cross Insurance Center.
 
-UMaine-