DURHAM, N.H. – With the score tied at 48-48, the Maine Black Bears were outscored down the stretch by a mark of 23-8, falling to the New Hampshire 71-56 on Thursday night at Lundholm Gymnasium.
 
Maine splits the season series with UNH, falling to 6-20, 3-8 in conference on the season. New Hampshire rises to 10-15, and 6-5 in the America East.
 
Aaron Calixte notched his 1,000^th career point with 5:16 left in the first half on his first free throw attempt on the afternoon. He became the 30^th Black Bear to reach the milestone, and the first since Gerald McLemore in 2011.
 
Calixte finished the game with a team-high 16 points, bringing his career total to 1,009 points. The redshirt junior made all eight of his free throw attempts, and also brought down six rebounds and dished two assists.
 
Andrew Fleming reached double-figures in scoring for the fifth consecutive game, tallying 12 points. He set a new career-high with three blocks.
 
Isaiah White and Dusan Majstorovic each registered eight points on the day. White also swatted three Wildcat shots on the day, and grabbed five rebounds off the glass. Ilija Stojiljkovic led Maine with seven boards in 19 minutes played.
 
UNH started the contest out of the gate on a 7-0 run, but Maine stormed back after Calixte scored six consecutive points. The Wildcats kept the lead for the moment, but Maine took its first lead at 12-11 after a Majstorovic 3-pointer.
 
The Wildcats quickly retook the lead, and the two teams traded baskets until Maine went on a 5-0 run to take a 27-21 lead after a Majstorovic 3-pointer and Calixte's knocked down his 1000^th and 1001th point from charity stripe.
 
After the Wildcats cut the Maine advantage to three, the Black Bears finished the half on a 7-0 during the final 2:16 to take a 34-24 into the locker room.
 
When the two teams resumed play in the second half, New Hampshire erased the deficit, taking a lead at 40-39 after a 15-6 run to start the half. The two teams battled back and forth, trading baskets for the next three minutes.
 
The score tied at 48-48, the fifth tie of the game, and the 12^th lead change of the game, would be the last, as the Wildcats finished the game on an 23-8 run to take the victory.
 
Tanner Leissner led the way for UNH with 21 points, while Iba Camara added 15 points and 16 rebounds in a double-double performance. Elijah Jordan put in 13 points, while Evan Horn registered 10 points.
 
Maine will have a quick turnaround, returning to the Cross Insurance Center on Sunday to face Stony Brook. Tipoff in Bangor is slated for 2:00 p.m.
 
-UMaine-