ORONO, Maine -- The UMaine men's basketball team looks to complete its second season-sweep of the season when the Black Bears (6-19, 3-7 AE) travel to rival New Hampshire (9-15, 5-5 AE) on Thursday night. The opening tip at Lundholm Gymnasium is slated for 7:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: With Maine holding a slim 81-79 advantage with 10 seconds remaining in overtime, Binghamton's Fard Muhammad attempted to shoot the go-ahead 3-pointer, but
Isaiah White recorded a block. The Bearcats gained possession following the swat, but failed to connect on a game-winning shot, as Maine held on to beat Binghamton on Saturday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Center. The game marked the first time this season that Maine won a game that they were outrebounded in (42-35).
THE SERIES: Maine snapped a six-game losing streak to its oldest rival in New Hampshire on Jan. 24, taking down the Wildcats in a thrilling fashion at the Cross Insurance Center. The Black Bears trailed 68-66 in the final minute, before
Aaron Calixte drained a deep contested 3-pointer with 21 seconds left. The Wildcats failed to score on the their last possession, with Maine earning its first win over UNH since the 2014. Calixte tied a career-high with 24 points, on 9-of-20 shooting from the floor. Maine became the first America East team to outrebound UNH this season, as the Wildcats have only been outrebounded in 5 games before Jan. 24. Thursday's meeting marks the 189
th meeting, with the two teams meeting every season since 1945-46.
A LOOK AT UNH: The Wildcats sit at an even 5-5 in conference, which put UNH at fifth in the America East standings. Since falling to Maine on Jan. 24, New Hampshire has gone 1-2, with its lone win coming against Binghamton on Jan. 27. Iba Camara continues to excel off the glass, ranking second best in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (8.54). In America East games, Tanner Leissner is fourth in the conference in scoring (17.8 ppg.), fifth in rebounding (7.0 rpg.), and ninth in free throw percentage (.766).
7 AWAY FROM 1K:
Aaron Calixte stands at 993 career points entering Thursday's contest against New Hampshire. He looks to become the 30
th Black Bear to reach the 1000-point milestone, and the first since Gerald McLemore achieved the feat in 2011.
WHITE HOT: White set a career-high with 23 points against Binghamton, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor (64.2 percent). He connected on 5-of-8 shots from 3-point range, while tallying three boards, two steals along with a pivotal block. Over his last three games, White is averaging 18 points per game, while shooting 60 percent (12-35) from the field, and 57 percent (8-14) from long distance. He's also averaging 4.7 rebounds per game, while only turning the ball over twice in the last three contests.
RED HOT:
Andrew Fleming has hit his stride offensively as of late, recording double-figures in four consecutive games. Fleming matched his season-high against Binghamton with 16 points, making half of his field goal attempts. Over his last four games, he is averaging 13.8 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and has made 11 of his last 12 free throw attempts. In 10 America East games, the 2016-17 All-Rookie team member is averaging 10.3 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per contest.
CAREER HIGH IN 5:
Celio Araujo recorded all seven of his points in the overtime period against Binghamton, which is a new career-high for the junior point guard. Four of the seven points came from the charity-stripe, and the native of Brazil also knocked down a clutch 3-pointer. Araujo's previous game-high in points came against Fordham on Dec. 2, when he tallied six against the Rams.
FREE BASKETBALL: It took an extra five minutes, but Maine outlasted Binghamton 81-70 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Center. The overtime win marked Maine's third overtime game this season, and the Black Bears first OT win since a 105-100 victory at Hartford on Jan. 27, 2016. It also marked Maine's first overtime win at the Cross Insurance Center since the Black Bears downed Quinnipiac 98-95 on Dec. 29, 2015.
GET THE BROOMS OUT: With the 81-79 overtime win over Binghamton on Saturday, the Black Bears completed its first America East season sweep since Maine swept UNH in the 2013-14 season. The Black Bears seek their second consecutive season sweep against the Wildcats on Thursday.
UP NEXT: The Black Bears return home to the Cross Insurance Center on Sunday to battle Stony Brook. The Throwback Day Sunday matinee tips off at 2:00 p.m. in Bangor.
-UMaine-
