ORONO, Maine – Following its lone home game through seven games this season, the Maine Black Bears head back on the road Saturday, taking on Saint Peter's in the Wolfpack Classic finale at the Yanitelli Center. The opening tip in Jersey City is slated for 3:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: Despite a combined 38 points from
Isaiah White and
Andrew Fleming, the University of Maine Black Bears could not fend off a hot 3-point shooting Princeton team, falling 79-53 in the home opener at the Cross Insurance Center on Wednesday night. White and Fleming both had big halves against the Tigers, with White knocking down 6-of-12 shots from the floor including three from long distance for 15 of his 19 points total in half number one. He added six caroms off the glass in total. Fleming matched his season-high in points and set a new season-high in rebounds, putting together a near double-double performance. He tallied 15 of his 19 points in the latter half, on 6-of-7 scoring from the floor, including a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point land. He finished tied for a team-high with nine rebounds off the glass on the night.
Ilija Stojiljkovic also grabbed nine boards in the contest, while nearing a double-double with eight points (4-5 FG). In his first collegiate game in his home state,
Terion Moss totaled seven points and three steals.
THE SERIES: The matchup between the Black Bears and Peacocks will be just the second meeting all-time between the two schools. The only previous meeting came on Nov. 17, 2001 as Maine fell 79-70 in neutral-site action at Golden Panther Arena at Florida International University in Miami. The Black Bears shot exactly 50 percent from the floor on that day (29-54 FG), compared to .485 from the Peacocks (.485), but 20 turnovers and a stronger showing from the charity-stripe (Maine: 4-9 FT, SPU: 11-19 FT) propelled Saint Peter's to the second-half come from behind victory. Four Black Bears reached double-figures in scoring, led by double-double performances from both Clayton Brown with 23 points (9-20 FG, 5-13 3-PT.) and 10 rebounds, while Justin Rowe added 16 points (8-9 FG) and 10 boards. SPU's Kamaal McQueen led all scorers with 26 points.
SCOUTING MAINE: The Black Bears seek its first victory on Saturday against the Peacocks. Maine has faced tough opposition to begin the season, with Maine's opponents having a combined record of 31-15 (.674). Maine faced six opponents in true road games to begin the season, with the six squads totaling an overall record 0f 28-13 as of Nov. 30. White has paced Maine's offense this season, earning at least 19 points in each of his last three games. Fleming has tallied double-figures in five of seven games this year, including 19-point performances against both N.C. State and Princeton. Against the Tigers, Fleming found his 3-point stroke, knocking down three triples on just four attempts. Entering the Princeton, the junior had made just two 3-pointers on 13 attempts.
SCOUTING SAINT PETER'S: After a thrilling come-from-behind overtime triumph over Lafayette (93-86) in the season-opener, the Peacocks have fallen in five consecutive contests, losing to Delaware (78-75), Bryant (71-63), N.C. State (85-57) North Texas (75-66) and Auburn (99-49) since opening night. Like Maine, Saint Peter's competition has been tough, with games against two power-5 conference schools along with a matchup against now 8-1 North Texas. Devauhnte Turner pours in an impressive 18.2 ppg, which ranks second-best in the MAAC and 113
th in the country. Samuel Idowu. (12.8 ppg )and K.C. Ndefo (10.2) also average double-figures in scoring. Ndefo is the team's leading rebounder with 6.7 boards per contest. Saint Peter's is a top-100 team in blocked shots (82
nd), with 4.5 blocks per game, with 4.5 as a unit.
UP NEXT: After taking on the Peacocks, Maine returns home to the Cross Insurance Center on Tuesday to take on Fordham. The opening tip against the Atlantic-10 foe is set for 7:00 p.m. For single game tickets, visit ticketmaster.com or the Cross Insurance Center box office. For season ticket packages and more. information, call the UMaine Athletics ticket office at (207) 581-BEAR.
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