Orono, ME – The University of Maine men's basketball team returns to Orono for a matchup against UMBC on Saturday, Feb. 4. The game will be their "This Game is no Secret" event as part of the Spread Respect series in the America East.
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ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine had the longest conference win streak since 2012-13 snapped on Wednesday night at Bryant University, 53-71. The Black Bears sit at 9-13 on the season and 3-6 in America East action. The Black Bears sit in eighth place in the standings.
The Black Bears defense returns to Orono with a dominant defense that remains in the top-10 in the NCAA after another week of being one of the best teams in the America East and in the country in forcing turnovers by way of the steal. Maine leads the America East in steals per game at 9.6 per contest, which is good for a national ranking of seventh. Leading the way in that category for the Black Bears is Sophomore Point Guard, Kellen Tynes.
Tynes is one of the best defenders in the country as he leads the NCAA in total steals and steals per game. He heads into the matchup against Bryant with 66 total steals and averaging 3.00 steals per game. Both of those numbers put Tynes on pace to set the Black Bears single-season record for both categories. Tynes is coming off of his first game of the 2022-23 season in which he failed to record a steal.
Tynes is putting up his incredible defensive numbers all while posting the most minutes per game in the America East, averaging 34:51 time on the floor per game. That time ranks him 76th in the country for time played per game.
Gedi Juozapaitis has continued to be one of the best sharpshooters in the country. He heads into the matchup against UMBC ranked 32nd in the country in three-point shooting at 40.9% to go along with the fourth most points per game in the America East at 15.1 per game. His three-point % leads the America East, among qualified players.
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PREVIEW ON THE RETRIEVERS:
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UMBC makes the trip to Orono following a 69-55 victory over the Binghamton Bearcats on Wednesday, Feb.1.
Jacob Boonyasith led his squad in scoring on the night as he had 15 points. He also had three assists and three steals.
Matteo Picarelli had a big night off the bench for UMBC as he went for 12 points in just 19 minutes off the bench.
UMBC shot 42.9% from the field, 29.2% from three-point range and 82.4% from the free throw line in the win.
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HISTORY:
This will be the 39th meeting all-time between these two programs and second of the 2022-23 season. The Retrievers took the first meeting of the season back on Jan. 14, 85-77.
The Black Bears shot 46.6% from the field, 43.3% from three-point range and 90.9% from the free throw line on the night.
They forced 13 turnovers while only having 11 turnovers in the contest.
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LAST TIME OUT FOR MAINE:
The Black Bears are coming off of a loss at the hands of the Bryant Bulldogs on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 53-71.
Ja'Shonté Wright-McLeish finished the night with a team-high 11 points on four of five shooting.
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Jaden Clayton finished with seven points, six rebounds and six assists. Kellen Tynes finished with nine points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Black Bears shot 40% from the field and 41.2% from three-point range. They also forced 15 turnovers on the night.
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CLAYTON EARNS SECOND AMERICA EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONORS
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Clayton, a native of Whitby, Canada, was a key contributor to the Black Bears 2-0 week in America East action back on Feb. 23-29. He averaged 12 points, 4.5Â rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the Black Bears victories over UMass Lowell and UAlbany.
Clayton turned in a career-best day on the boards against UMass Lowell back on Wednesday, Jan. 25 as he grabbed six rebounds to go along with his 12 points in the contest. He also had a pair of steals and a block in the 75-70 victory.
He followed up his solid performance with another 12-point outing in the 72-68 victory over UAlbany on Saturday, Jan. 28. He dished out four assists, had three rebounds and snatched a pair of steals in the victory.
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JUOZAPAITIS REMAINS IN SECOND IN AMERICA EAST SCORING
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Gedi Juozapaitis has continued his dominating scoring run over the America East as the Black Bears enter the second half of the conference schedule. He sits in fourth place in the America East conference in scoring as he averages 15.1 points per game on the season. He is averaging 17.0 points per game through nine conference matchups, which is good for the second most points in conference only games He is shooting 41.3% from the field and 39.4% from three-point range.
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Juozapaitis remains the leader in three-pointers made in conference games with 26 made three-pointers, three more than Charles Pride of Bryant. He is shooting the sixth-best percentage from three-point range (39.4%), among qualified leaders, all while attempting the most three-pointers per game at 2.9 per contest.
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Juozapaitis is putting up his numbers at a very efficient rate in conference only games as he currently ranks 19th in field goal%.
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WRIGHT-MCLEISH CLOSING IN ON 100
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Ja'Shonté Wright-McLeish has been a consistent scorer for the Black Bears over his tenure with the team. He has averaged 5.8 points per game over his collegiate career and he is looking to top the 100-made three-pointers at some point during his career. He has made 32 three-pointers this season, giving him 80 for his career.
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Tale of the Tape
| Maine (9-13, 3-6 AE) |
Category |
UMBC (15-9, 5-4) |
| 69.5 |
Points Per Game |
76.5 |
| 70.0 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
72.6 |
| -0.5 |
Scoring Margin |
3.9 |
| 46.0 |
Field Goal Percentage |
46.0 |
| 35.5 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
35.5 |
| 74.3 |
Free Throw Percentage |
74.3 |
| 30.8 |
Rebounds Per Game |
34.8 |
| -3.5 |
Rebound Margin |
1.0 |
| 14.0 |
Assists Per Game |
14.9 |
| 12.3 |
Turnovers Per Game |
10.0 |
| 14.2 |
Turnovers Forced Per Game |
11.5 |
| 9.6 |
Steals Per Game |
5.6 |
| 2.1 |
Blocks Per Game |
2.5 |
-UMaine-
