BANGOR, Maine – On Sunday afternoon in America East men's basketball action, the UAlbany Great Danes shot superior from beyond the 3-point arc and from the free throw line, defeating Maine 63-54 on Spread Respect Day at the Cross Insurance Center.
 
Andrew Fleming drained 6-of-13 shots he took from the field for a team-high 14 points. Isaiah White shot an efficient 5-of-7 on his field goal attempts for 11 points, including back-to-back jams in the first half. Dennis Ashley reached double-figures for the second-consecutive game, making 4-of-7 attempts along with distributing three assists. Sergio El Darwich filled the stat sheet with eight points, six assists and five rebounds, while collecting a block and two steals.
 
The Black Bears (5-22, 3-9 AE) started out the gate hot, building an early 6-0 lead, before the Great Danes scored five-straight points after a timeout to cut its deficit to one. El Darwich added a layup and White added two consecutive dunks on turnovers to spark a 11-3 sprint to make it a 17-8 advantage in favor of Maine with 12:57 left in the half.
 
Trailing 19-10 with 11:33 left in the half, UAlbany responded with a 17-6 charge to claim a 30-25 lead. An Ashley layup and a jumper by Fleming dwindled the Great Dane to just a single point at 30-29 with 2:07 left, but the Great Danes finished the half on a 5-0 run to take a 35-29 edge into the locker room.
 
Both teams traded points to start the half, as the America East rivals tied each other four times over the course of the first seven and a half minutes. After Maine took a one-point lead at 48-47 on a Vilgot Larsson triple with 6:46 left in regulation, UAlbany scored 10 unanswered points to take a pivotal nine-point lead at 57-48 with 3:08 left.

The Great Danes made 8-of-23 from long range, compared to the Black Bears' 3-of-12 mark. UAlbany also got to the line five more times than Maine, sinking 11-of-13 to Maine's 5-of-8 from the stripe.
 
Ashley knocked down his lone 3-pointer of the contest to make it a six-point game with 2:48 left, but Maine would eventually run out of time, splitting the season series with a 63-54 loss to UAlbany.
 
The Great Danes had four players reach double-figures in scoring, with Cameron Healy leading the squad with 16 points. Adam Lulka neared a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Ahmad Clark totaled 13 points and seven assists, while Devonte Campbell added 11 points.
 
The Black Bears will have a bye this Wednesday, returning to action on Saturday, Feb. 23 against Stony Brook at Island Federal Credit Union Arena. The opening tip is set for 7:00 p.m. on Long Island. Maine returns to Bangor on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7:00 p.m. against UMass Lowell.
 
-UMaine-