ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine Black Bears look to improve to 2-2 in America East play on Wednesday night, hosting the Hartford Hawks at the Cross Insurance Center. The Black Bears' fourth game in conference play is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. in Bangor. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+, with Bryan Stackpole and Sandy Thomas on the call. Jim Churchill and Ron Lisnet will be on the call on WCYR 102.9 FM, with streams available on GoBlackBears.com and the TuneIn radio app.
FREE TICKETS FOR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WORKERS: With the government shutdown affecting many across the nation, the University of Maine Athletics Department is offering free admission to furloughed federal employees and their families for two upcoming UMaine men's basketball games. Free admission is available for government employees and their families for the Wednesday, Jan. 16 men's basketball game against Hartford and the Saturday afternoon contest against Stony Brook at 1:00 p.m. To reserve tickets and for more information, contact the UMaine ticket office at 207-581-BEAR, or email the ticket office at
um.tickets@maine.edu. To claim tickets the day of the games, visit the Will Call table at the main entrance of the Cross Insurance Center and present valid government identification to receive admission.
LAST TIME OUT: Owning a 16-point lead with 2:41 left in the second half, the Maine Black Bears men's basketball team hung on long enough to defeat UAlbany 66-62 for its first conference win on Saturday afternoon at SEFCU Arena.
Sergio El Darwich led four Black Bear double-figure scorers by matching career-highs in points (26) and rebounds (8). The Black Bears (3-15, 1-2 AE) made 12 of its 28 attempted 3-pointers, the most Maine has made this season and the most since converting 14 treys against Quinnipiac last season (11/26/17). The Black Bears made 10 of its 13 free throws (76.9 percent), outshooting the Great Danes (4-12, 0-2 AE), who converted just 55 percent of its attempts from the charity-stripe (11-20 FT). Of Maine's 22 made field goals, 17 came off assists.
SCOUTING MAINE: The Black Bears picked up its first win over UAlbany since 2016 and first win in the Empire State's capital since 2011, when Maine downed the Great Danes 66-62 on Saturday afternoon. Since conference play began on Jan. 5,
Sergio El Darwich has lit up the stat sheet with 18.0 ppg, making 52.8 of his field goal attempts (19-36 FG) and 47.1 percent (8-17 3PT) of shots from long distance. He ranks second on the team during that span with 6.3 rebounds per game, setting and matching a career-highs of 8 rebounds against Vermont and Albany. El Darwich has made 8 of 9 from the free throw line since conference play began (88.9%), compared to 66.7 percent clip this season.
Andrew Fleming is averaging 13 points per game and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game for the Black Bears during conference season, while
Isaiah White is pouring in 11.3 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game and two blocks per contest.
SCOUTING HARTFORD: The Hawks (8-9, 1-1 AE) look to bounce back after a loss to Vermont in its last game on Saturday, falling to the Catamounts 81-61. Hartford picked up an overtime win in its previous game against UMBC in its conference opener, in a thrilling 66-64 victory in West Hartford. The Hawks excel at making shots from long distance and from the free throw line, ranking as the 14
th best team among 351 Division I teams, making 76.3 percent from the charity-stripe. From beyond the arc, Hartford has made the 65
th most 3-pointers this season, averaging 8.9 triples per game. An impressive Four Hawks are averaging 13.3 points or greater, led by John Carroll's 15.7 points per game. J.R. Lynch, who who is nearly automatic from the charity-stripe (89.1 percent), averages 15.2 points per game, while Jason Dunne (13.9 ppg) and George Blagojevic (13.3 ppg) are cogs in the America East's fourth best scoring offense (72.8 ppg). Blagojevic ranks second-best in the America East in rebounds (7.6 rpg), while Dunne leads the America East in steals (2.29 spg) and assist to turnover ratio (1.82).
UP NEXT: Maine is back in action at the Cross Insurance Center on Saturday, when Maine hosts Stony Brook. The opening tip in Bangor is set for 1:00 p.m.
-UMaine-
