Orono, ME - The University of Maine men's basketball team opens the 2023-24 season up on Monday, Nov. 6 with a matchup against Charlotte.

GAME INFORMATION:
DATE: Monday, Nov. 6
TIME: 7:00 P.M.
SITE: Charlotte, NC | Halton Arena
2023 RECORDS: Maine 0-0, 0-0 America East - Charlotte 0-0, 0-0 American
VIDEO: ESPN +
LISTEN: goblackbears.com
LIVE STATS: charlotte49ers.com
TWITTER: @maineMBB
GAME NOTES

The Black Bears are coming off of their best regular season since the 2010-11 season as they concluded the season with a record of 13-17, including a win over ACC opponent Boston College in the third game of the season.
 
Chris Markwood enters his second full season at the helm of the new look Black Bears, will be featuring 10 returning players and seven new additions to a squad that has been picked fifth in the America East Preseason Poll following a quarterfinal appearance in the conference tournament a season ago.
 
The Black Bears return five of their six top-scorers from a season ago and four of their five starters, along with their sixth-man of the year finalist in the America East.
 
Maine had the fourth ranked defense in the America East, allowing just 69.7 points per game, but only managed the sixth-best offense in the conference, scoring 68.5 points per game.
 
Player Spotlights:
 
Kellen Tynes: One season ago, Kellen Tynes (Jr. – Dartmouth, Nova Scotia) became the first Black Bear in program history to be named a Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and his numbers were above anyone else in the entire NCAA. Tynes led the country with 98 steals (excluding the NCAA Tournament) and his average of 3.27 steals per game also led the country and were the most in the NCAA in three years.
 
Adding on 0.5 blocks per game, Tynes asserted himself as the best defensive player in the America East and as perennial National Semifinalist for the Defensive Player of the Year.
 
His stellar defensive play was paired with some solid offensive numbers, which including 14.3 PGG, 4.6 RPG and 3.8 APG, earning Tynes third-team All-Conference honors in 2022-23.
 
Jaden Clayton: As a freshman in 2022-23, Jaden Clayton established himself as a reliable passer as the point guard for the new look Black Bears. Clayton ranked third in the America East with 3.9 assists per game, which was the third most in the conference and his 118 total assists were also the third most in the conference.
 
Clayton earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team in the America East as he also ranked second in the America East in total steals with 54, trailing only his teammate, Kellen Tynes. Clayton scored 6.9 points per contest last season on only 38.8% from the field, numbers he is looking to improve upon when he takes the floor as the starting point guard on opening night for the Black Bears.
 
Peter Filipovity: A finalist for the America East Sixth Man of the Year, Peter Filipovity took a big leap forward is in his first under Coach Markwood and his staff. His average points nearly doubled as he went from averaging 4.8 points in 2021-22 to 9.2 points per game in 2022-23. His rebounding numbers also increased by more than double as he averaged 5.7 last season, compared to 2.7 the season before.
 
Filipovity provided the Black Bears with a much-needed spark off the bench a season ago as he supplied five double-doubles in that roll, including a career-best 17-point outing against Columbia on Nov. 18.
 
Filipovity finds himself currently poised to have a chance to be among the starters on opening night for the Black Bears as the Maine bench is slated to be much deeper with their rotations than a season ago, where only seven Black Bears averaged more than 10 minutes per game.
 
Wright-McLeish looks to become 20^th Black Bear in Program History to hit 100-three points: A key-piece of the Black Bears over the past four seasons, Ja'Shonté Wright-McLeish will be looking to become just the 20^th Black Bear in school history to make 100-career three pointers. A season ago, he knocked down a career-best 40 three-pointers, shooting 31.3% from behind the arc. For his career, he sits at 88 made three-pointers.
 
Program History against Charlotte: This is the first matchup between these two programs.