Orono, Maine -- Maine continues action on the road when it travels to take on Columbia in New York City on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the seventh all-time meeting between the two programs.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on
ESPN+. The game can also be heard worldwide on the
Black Bear Sports Network and locally in Maine on 1370 A
M.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS
The Black Bears are heading to Columbia with a tough defensive group, one of which ranks near the top of the country in turnovers forced and steals per game. Maine is ranked 47th in the country in turnovers forced at 17.0 per game, which also ranks them second in the America East conference. To go along with their large turnovers forced, Maine also finds themselves 45th in the country in steals per game, checking in at a 9.2 steals per game. That ranks them first in the America East conference. The Black Bears are also doing a great job of cashing in at the free throw line, ranking 93rd in the country and second in America East with a 73.3 percent as a team. Maine also commits the 5th fewest fouls in the conference, gaining them 64th nationally in the category at 99 on the season.
A LOOK AT COLUMBIA
Columbia heads into their matchup against the Black Bears on a 4-game losing streak, with their latest loss coming against another America East team, UMBC.
Liam Murphy led his team in points with 14 in the contest, as well as total minutes played at 38. Patrick Harding was crashing the glass with 14 rebounds in the game. Cameron Shockley-Okeke and Eddie Turner III also chipped in 10 points a piece.
HISTORY AGAINST COLUMBIA
Maine and Columbia are meeting for the seventh time in history. The Black Bears are 3-4 all-time against Columbia. Maine won the latest meeting, 75-72 in overtime, at The Pit inside Memorial Gymnasium on Jan. 2, 2020. In that win, Andrew Fleming led Main with 26 points and 11 rebounds while Sergio El Darwich added 24 points. Current Black Bear
Stephane Ingo added eight points and six boards in the win. Maine's last win at Columbia came on Dec. 30, 2009, a 65-59 decision. Prior to the 2020 victory, Columbia had won three-straight. The first-ever meeting between the two programs took place on Dec. 28, 1959. Maine came away with the victory in 1959, 74-66.
Tale of the Tape
| Maine (2-4) |
Category |
Columbia (2-6) |
| 55.7 |
Points Per Game |
68.5 |
| 67.0 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
77.6 |
| -11.3 |
Scoring Margin |
-9.1 |
| 36.5 |
Field Goal Percentage |
42.2 |
| 19.8 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
35.3 |
| 73.3 |
Free Throw Percentage |
66.2 |
| 32.2 |
Rebounds Per Game |
36.0 |
| -4.0 |
Rebound Margin |
-1.1 |
| 10.8 |
Assists Per Game |
12.5 |
| 15.5 |
Turnovers Per Game |
14.1 |
| 17.0 |
Turnovers Forced Per Game |
11.4 |
| 9.2 |
Steals Per Game |
4.9 |
| 2.8 |
Blocks Per Game |
2.9 |
-UMaine-
