BANGOR, Maine – Despite two clutch game-tying three-pointers from
Sergio El Darwich at the end of regulation and the first overtime, the Maine Black Bears could not overcome an outstanding free throw performance from Central Connecticut State, falling to the Blue Devils in double-overtime at the Cross Insurance Center on Saturday afternoon.
El Darwich, who garnered a career-high 26 points (10-16, 4-8 3PT), poured in 11 points alone in the overtime periods to lead the Black Bears offensively.
Isaiah White neared career-high marks with 22 points, while grabbing six boards in 47 minutes played.
Andrew Fleming tallied in 18 points (7-15 FG) for the Black Bears (2-11, 0-0 AE) and was just one rebound away from a double-double performance. He also distributed four assists along with collecting two steals and a block to stuff the stat sheet.
The hard-fought contest featured 12 lead changes and 10 tied scores with neither team leading by more than nine points at any point during the 50-minute contest. The game was tied at the end of the first half (32-32), second half (73-73), and the first overtime (84-84), as CCSU was able to outscore Maine 9-6 in the final period for its fifth win of the season.
CCSU shot an impressive 88.6 percent (31-35 FT) from the charity-stripe, including just one miss on 22 attempts after halftime. The Blue Devils (5-5, 0-0 NEC) converted each of its last 17 attempts from the line, which kept CCSU stride-for-stride with the Black Bears.
Both squads traded baskets to start the contest, with neither team gaining a lead of more than five points until CCSU used a 5-0 run to take a 24-17 lead with 8:02 left in the first half. Maine cut the deficit back to four after a
Terion Moss triple, as the two teams continued to exchanged points.
With CCSU up 32-27 with 2:06 left in the first half, Fleming used a three-point play on a layup and converted free throw to knock the deficit down to two points. After a Blue Devil miss,
Celio Araujo connected on two free throws with 24 seconds left, as both teams entered the locker room tied at 32-32.
After the break, the Blue Devils regained the lead, scoring the half's first six points to take a 38-32 advantage. The Black Bears dropped the deficit to just one at 43-42 with 15:05 left following a White trey, but the Blue Devils hit a three-pointer to get a four-point lead.
The Blue Devils took a an eight point lead at 53-45 and a game-high nine-point lead 62-53, but Maine did not give up. A pivotal 15-7 charge by the Black Bear put Maine within one point at 69-68 with just 1:17 left in regulation. Maine was forced to foul late, as CCSU converted two late free throws, to earn a 73-70 lead with just five seconds left.
Maine inbounded the ball, as
Ilija Stojiljkovic passed the ball to El Darwich, as the junior nailed the game-tying three as time expired to force overtime.
The first overtime went in favor of Maine to start, but CCSU quickly evened the contest at 78-78, 79-79 and 81-81. CCSU took a three-point lead after three made free throws late in the period. Maine took possession with 22 seconds left, taking a timeout with seven seconds left. Once again, El Darwich extended the contest, with a game-tying triple with just one second remaining to force a second overtime.
In the second extra period, Maine took a 86-84 advantage after an El Darwich layup, but CCSU tied the game up soon after. The Blue Devils hit a triple next to take a three-point lead with 1:27 left, but El Darwich responded with another trey to knot the game at 89-89. CCSU retook the lead on a jumper with 26 seconds left, as Maine was only to muster one point the rest of way, with CCSU draining its final two free throws to take a three-point advantage. A last second three-point attempt bounced off the rim in the closing seconds, as Maine fell to CCSU 93-90.
Tyler Kohl led the Blue Devils with an impressive 33 point, seven rebound, four assist performance, as he shot 68 percent from the floor and 92 percent from the foul line (12-13 FT).
Maine (44.4 FG%) shot a tad better from the floor than CCSU (44.1 FG%), while outrebounding the Blue Devils by a mark of 42-37. Maine held a big advantage in points in the paint (42-24), with the Black Bear bench outscoring the Blue Devil bench by a 37-10 margin.
Maine is off from game-action until after the holidays, returning to the hardwood on Dec. 29 against Rutgers. The matchup between the Black Bears and Scarlet Knights is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
-UMaine
