ORONO, Maine – After a tough 77-76 loss to Hartford on Wednesday night, the University of Maine Black Bears men's basketball team looks to down Stony Brook on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The contest will be broadcasted on ESPN3, with Bryan Stackpole and Sandy Thomas on the call. Jim Churchill and Ron Lisnet will be on the air waves 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: The Maine Black Bears men's basketball team led Hartford 76-75 with three seconds left in the second half, when the Hawks' John Carroll was fouled while attempting a shot with a half second remaining. The redshirt senior drained both from the charity-stripe, as Hartford escaped the Cross Insurance Center with a 77-76 victory on Wednesday night.
Vincent Eze put together a career-game for Maine, connecting on 8-of-11 shots from the floor for 18 points. He pulled down five offensive boards for nine total rebounds in the contest.
Andrew Fleming set a season-high and matched a career high with 14 boards, while adding 10 points in a double-double performance.
SCOUTING MAINE: For the second-straight game, Maine shot above 40 percent from 3-point land. Maine knocked down 10 of its 23 attempts, for a .435 3-point percentage, its second best percentage from deep this season (Fordham, 8-18 3PT FG, 444).
Sergio El Darwich poured in 15 points in the Hartford loss, as he now ranks second in America East conference play with 17.3 points per game, with a shooting percentage of .543 from the floor and .476 from long range. Through four games of conference play,
Andrew Fleming is leading the league in assists with five dimes per game and ranks third in rebounding, averaging 9.0 rebounds per game after matching his career-high with 14 rebounds against the Hawks. Since his breakout 26-point performance against Central Connecticut State on Dec. 22, El Darwich is averaging a team-high 17.1 points per game, while shooting at a .563 clip on his field goal attempts and 42.9 percent on his shots from long distance. He is second on the team in that seven game span with 5.3 rebounds per game and 2.86 assists per game.
SCOUTING STONY BROOK: The Seawolves (15-3, 3-0 AE) have put together a historic season, entering Saturday's game winners of five straight and seven of their last eight. The Seawolves boast impressive wins over Atlantic 10's George Washington (77-74) and Rhode Island (68-58) and the SEC's South Carolina (83-81). Impressive on the road, Stony Brook's lone loss has come against Brown, in a 71-69 loss in Providence. Stony Brook has rolled through conference play, defeating UMass Lowell (75-63), Binghamton (59-46) and New Hampshire (62-44) all by at least 12 points. Akwasi Yeboah leads the squad in scoring (17.9 ppg) and on the boards (6.9 rpg). Miles Latimer (11.9 ppg) and Elijah Olaniyi (11.7) also average double-figures in scoring. This season, the Seawolves boast one of the stingiest defenses in America, ranking 25th of 351 teams in field goal percentage defense (39.5%) and 36th in Division I in 3-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to shoot 30 percent. The Seawolves are the best America East team off the glass, ranking 16th nationally in rebounds per game (40.38), and 16th in rebound margin (+7.5). Jeff Otchere has blocked 42 shots this season, the 11th most by any Division I player.
UP NEXT: Maine will have off next Wednesday, returning to game action on the road to Binghamton on Saturday, Jan. 26. The opening tip at the Events Center in Vestal, N.Y. is slated for 1:00 p.m. After heading to UMass Lowell on Jan. 30, The Black Bears return home to the Cross Insurance Center on Sunday, Feb. 3 against rival UNH. The Border Battle contest will begin at 1:00 p.m. in Bangor. For tickets, visi
t ticketmaster.com.
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