ORONO, Maine – Following a disappointing finish against Binghamton on Saturday, the University of Maine men's basketball team looks to pick up its second road conference win on Wednesday night against UMass Lowell. The opening tip against the River Hawks is slated for 7:00 p.m. at the Tsongas Center. The contest will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and is set to be aired on the radio waves on 96.1 FM WGUY, with streams available on goblackbears.com and the TuneIn radio app.
LAST TIME OUT: The University of Maine Black Bears took a seven-point second half lead, but the Binghamton Bearcats clawed back, finishing the contest on a 19-7 run to take a 78-66 contest at the Events Center on Saturday afternoon. Three Black Bears (3-18, 1-5 AE) reached double-figures, led by
Vilgot Larsson's 14 points.
Isaiah White and
Andrew Fleming both tallied 12 points in the contest, with Fleming and
Sergio El Darwich grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. El Darwich distributed six assists, and was held the seven points, snapping an eight-game double-figure scoring streak.
THE SERIES: The two squads faced off for the first time in the 1905-06 season, where Lowell won 29-9 in a contest at Maine. After facing off in 1907-08 (L, 30-21 ) and 1908-09, Maine and Lowell squared off again in 1928-29, where the River Hawks won 31-24 in Orono. The two squads would not meet again until the 1984-85 campaign, where the Black Bears downed the Division II River Hawks, 86-63. UML forced overtime in 1987-88 against the Black Bears, but Maine pulled past the River Hawks 75-73. With UML joining the America East as a Division I team in 2013-14, the two schools have squared off twice a season since, as the River Hawks have won eight of 10 meetings since becoming a Division I member. Maine last took down UML on Jan. 11, 2017.
SCOUTING MAINE: Despite holding a 1-5 record in conference play, the Black Bears have held a lead in every contest, and have combined to hold a lead for 120 minutes and 40 seconds out of 240 minutes of game time, while trailing for just 99 minutes and 51 seconds. Maine has held a tied score for 19 minutes and 29 seconds against America East foes. Since entering conference play, the Black Bears have improved their shooting from long distance, ranking fourth in the America East in 3-point field goal percentage (35.8), while making the third most 3-point shots in conference play through six games.
Andrew Fleming leads the league in rebounding in America East games, pulling down an impressive 8.8 boards per game. He is also tied for the lead in assists, distributing 4.0 dimes per contest.
SCOUTING UMASS LOWELL: Predicted to finish last in the America East Preseason Poll, the River Hawks are off to a 4-2 start in conference play, currently on a four-game winning streak. UMass Lowell are an impressive 7-1 at home, with its lone loss coming against Stony Brook. UMass Lowell has been successful this season due to its high-power offense, which ranks as the best in the America East (81.3 ppg) and as the 34
th highest average in the nation. The efficient offense ranks 42
nd in the country, as the River Hawks sink 47.9 percent of its field goal attempts. As strong as the offense is, UML's defense ranks last in the AE, allowing 78.0 points per contest, as its foes drain 45.4 percent of its field goal attempts against the River Hawks. The high-octane offense is led by an impressive five double-figure scorers. Christian Lutete, ranks second in the America East in scoring (18.6 ppg), while leading the conference in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and field goal percentage (.547).
UP NEXT: After taking on the River Hawks, Maine returns home to the Cross Insurance Center on Sunday, taking on rival New Hampshire. The Border Battle opening tip is set for a 1:00 p.m. start. For tickets, visit the Cross Insurance Center box office, or head to ticketmaster.com.
-UMaine-
