ORONO, Maine -- The Maine Black Bears and UAlbany Great Danes both look to avenge a loss against Vermont in their previous game on Saturday, when Maine ventures to the Empire State capital. The opening tip at SEFCU Arena is slated for 3:00 p.m. The contest will be aired on ESPN+, while the game can be heard on the radio waves on 96.1 WGUY FM and goblackbears.com.
LAST TIME OUT: In the America East home opener, the University of Maine could not battle back from a 17-point halftime deficit, falling to Vermont 73-49 at the Cross Insurance Center on Wednesday night.
Sergio El Darwich poured in a game-high 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The junior has now reached double-figures in scoring five-consecutive games.
Isaiah White also reached double-figures, totaling 10 points and five rebounds while turning the ball over just twice in 31 minutes played.
Andrew Fleming stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
THE SERIES: UAlbany leads the all-time series by a 23-13 mark, having won five in a row and 15 of the last 17 meetings. The Black Bears seek to win its first game against Great Danes since Maine took down UAlbany 81-79 at the Cross Insurance Center on Jan. 15 2016. Four Black Bears registered double-figures, as Maine knocked down 33 of its 55 field goal attempts (.569).
SCOUTING MAINE: The Black Bears hit the road for their 13
th road game of the season, looking to defeat Albany at SEFCU Arena for the first time since 2011. The Black Bears have sported a balanced offense over the course of its last five games with
Sergio El Darwich (15.8 ppg),
Andrew Fleming (15.4 ppg) and
Isaiah White (14.8 ppg) leading the squad in points per game. Fleming has been productive off the glass, grabbing 7.4 rebounds per game while distributing a team-high 4.0 assists per contest during that span. El Darwich has been shooting at an efficient .526 clip (30-57 FG), while shooting a red-hot 68.9 percent on all shots coming inside the arc. The junior from Lebanon has not slouched on the boards, cleaning the glass with 4.8 boards per game. As a team, Maine has outrebounded its opponents over the last five games by an average of +3.2 per game.
SCOUTING UALBANY: Traditionally a force in the America East, UAlbany currently stands at 5-11 on the season, with a loss in its lone America East game against Vermont. The Great Danes are 2-7 in their last nine games, with non-conference wins over Niagara (79-74) and Manhattan (77-67). The Great Danes are among the best in the nation in free throw percentage, ranking second best in the conference and 20
th in the country (76.3 percent). Albany also excels from long distance, making 131 3-pointers this season, which ranks 100
th best in Division I. Ahmad Clark (18.4 ppg) and Cameron Healy (15.4 ppg) pace the offense, which averages 67.9 points per game. Adam Luka ranks third in the America East in rebounds per game (7.3 rpg)
UP NEXT: The Black Bears return home to the Cross Insurance Center on Wednesday, when Maine hosts Hartford in midweek America East action. The opening tip in Bangor against the Hawks is set for 7:00 p.m.
