ORONO, Maine -- The Maine Black Bears close out the regular season at home against the number-one seed in the upcoming America East playoffs in Vermont on Tuesday night at the Cross Insurance Center. The senior night opening tip at the Cross Insurance Center is set for 7:00 p.m. in Bangor.
LAST TIME OUT: The duo of
Aaron Calixte and
Isaiah White combined to score 47 points, but UAlbany outlasted a late comeback bid by Maine, defeating the Black Bears 89-79 on Saturday night at SEFCU Arena. The Black Bears (6-24, 3-12 AE) put together their second best shooting effort efficiency wise of the campaign, shooting 52.5 percent (31-of-59) from the floor, compared to UAlbany's (21-9, 9-6 AE) 42 percent (27-65) field goal percentage.
THE SERIES: The Black Bears hold a 70-68 lead in the all-time series over the Catamounts, despite Vermont winning the last 12 meetings. In Maine's last win over Vermont on Jan. 22, 2013, Alasdair Frasier came two assists away from a triple double (20-10-8), while Justin Edwards scored a game-high 22 points in a 71-68 win over the Catamounts at Alfond Arena. Maine is the lone America East team currently holding a winning record against Vermont.
LAST MEETING: Down by just 10 points with less than four minutes to go in the second half, the Maine Black Bears could not prevent a late run by Vermont, falling 83-62 on Jan. 15 at Patrick Gymnasium.
Aaron Calixte (7-12 FG, 3-7 3PT) and
Ilker Er (6-15, 3-6 3PT) combined for 37 of Maine's 62 points on the night.
A LOOK AT VERMONT: The Catamounts have rolled through America East play, but recently saw their record-breaking 33-game conference win streak snapped against Hartford on Feb. 18. Since the loss, Vermont defeated Binghamton 75-54 on Feb. 21 along with a 69-60 victory over Stony Brook on Feb. 24. With five players averaging double-figures, Vermont sports a balanced offense. The Catamounts top scorer, Anthony Lamb, is out indefinitely, having missed the last 17 games after suffering a foot injury in practice. Overall, Vermont leads the conference in scoring defense (64.9), scoring margin ( 9.8), field goal percentage (.495), 3-point field goal percentage and (.407).
THE POSTSEASON: With Hartford's 67-57 triumph over Binghamton on Saturday, Maine clinched an America East playoff berth. The No. 8 seed Black Bears will travel to No. 1 seed Vermont in the quarterfinals at 7:00 p.m. at Patrick Gymnasium.
SENIOR DAY: Before Tuesday's game, the UMaine athletic department will honor
Ilker Er and
Garvey Melmed for their contribution to the basketball program. Melmed a native of Old Town, Maine has played in 70 games over his four-year career. A mechanical engineering major, he holds the team's highest GPA, with an impessive mark of 3.97.
Ilker Er joined the Black Bears last season after transferring to Maine from San Jacinto Junior College. Despite, missing most of the 2016-17 season with an injury, Er put together an impressive 20-point performance against No. 4 Duke on Dec. 3, 2016. This season, Er has played in 26 games, averaging 8.3 points per contest, along with bringing down 3.8 rebounds per game. At the Hoop Hall of Fame Tournament earlier this season, he was named to the all-tournament team after a double-double performance against Sacred Heart (20 points, 10 rebounds).
20/20 VISION: Calixte's and White's combined 47 points mark the most points by two individual players in a game this season, and the second time that two players recorded at least 20 points (White and
Dusan Majstorovic both recorded 20 points against Maine Machias).
ning 20 minutes.
UP NEXT: Maine and Vermont will square off again on Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the America East playoffs. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. in Burlington. For tickets, visit uvmathletics.com.
-UMaine-
