Box Score Lowell, MA – The University of Maine men's basketball team started off conference play with a loss against the River Hawks of UMass Lowell on Thursday night, 72-70.
Maine netted the first basket on the night as
Kellen Tynes hit a layup off of a feed by
Jaden Clayton.
The River Hawks grabbed the lead for the first time on the night at 17:01 on a three-pointer by Everette Hammond.
The Black Bears tied the contest up midway through the opening half as
Milos Nenadic forced a turnover that led to a transition layup by
Jaden Clayton.
Maine retook the lead with 7:36 remaining in the first half as
Gedi Juozapaitis hit a layup to make it a 21-19 game.
The River Hawks retook the lead with 5:08 remaining in the first half, a lead that they wouldn't give up for the rest of the opening half as they took a 38-29 lead into halftime.
Gedi Juozapaitis led the Black Bears in scoring over the opening 20 minutes as he had eight points on three of five shooting.
Connor Withers led all scorers in the first half as he had 15 points for the River Hawks.
Both sides traded baskets throughout the opening minutes minutes of the second half, with the Black Bears getting the deficit down to five points with 11:46 left in regulation.
Maine made it a one-point game as
Peter Filipovity picked up a steal on the defensive end and a few seconds later hit a layup on a great set up by Ja'Shonté Wright-McLeish.
The Black Bears comeback effort would come up short on the night as the River Hawks picked up the win, 72-70.
Gedi Juozapaitis ended the night the leading scored for the Black Bears as he dropped 18 in the losing effort.
Kellen Tynes (12) and
Jaden Clayton (11) rounded out the top-three scorers for the Black Bears on the night.
Everette Hammond led all scorers on the night as he scored 20 points in the winning performance for UMass Lowell.
Maine (6-8, 0-1 AE) will be back in action on Sunday, Jan. 8 as they take on the NJIT Highlanders at The Pit in Orono. Maine will be hosting their Meet the Bears event post game on Sunday.
-UMaine-
