Orono, ME - The University of Maine men's basketball team makes their return to Orono on Thursday, Jan. 25 as they host UAlbany at The Pit.

GAME INFORMATION:
DATE: Thursday, Jan. 25
TIME: 6:00 P.M.
SITE: Orono, ME - The Pit
2023 RECORDS: Maine 9-10, 1-3 - UAlbany 10-9, 2-2
VIDEO: ESPN +
LISTEN: goblackbears.com
TICKETS
LIVE STATS
TWITTER: @maineMBB
GAME NOTES

Last Time Out: Maine snapped a six-game losing streak and picked up their first conference win of the season as they defeated NJIT, 70-64.

Peter Filipovity had a conference career-high 20 points and a career-high tying 13 rebounds in the win.

Kellen Tynes had five steals, giving him 11 steals across his last two games.

Black Bear Rankings: Following four contests in conference play, Maine is allowing the 71st fewest points per game in the NCAA at 66.9 per game, which ranks third in the America East.

Maine ranks in the Top-100 national in a number of key categories and in the top-three in the America East, including: Steals per game (49th - Second in America East), turnover margin (79th - First in America East),  Three-Point % Defense (86th), fewest turnovers per game (Second in America East),  turnovers forced per game (First in America East) and free throw percentage (92nd - First in America East).

Spotlights: Peter Filipovity: Filipovity has emerged as one of the most improved players in all of the America East. In year two of being a part of Markwood's system, Filipovity has seen his scoring average nearly triple from his first season at Maine (4.8 - 13.6) and is up over four points per game from last seasons average (9.2 - 13.6) all while becoming a more efficient scorer of the basketball (47% - 58%).

To go along with the spike in scoring, he has seen a large increase in his rebounding totals (2.6 - 5.7 - 7.6) across his three seasons at Maine and he has become a much more reliable defender for a strong defensive minded Black Bear squad. His 7.6 rebounds per game this season are the fourth-most in the America East. He is coming off a career-best day against an America East opponent as he had a conference career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds against NJIT.

Kellen Tynes: Tynes continues to be one of the most consistent and dominate defenders in all of college basketball. He is averaging 2.39 steals per game, which is the most per game in the America East and ranks him 16th nationally, a 13-spot jump from last weeks rankings. He has 43 total steals on the season, which are the most in the America East and has him ranked 20th in the nation. In two games last week, Tynes tallied 11 steals.

Despite his scoring average being down slightly from a season ago (14.3 - 13.8), Maine played a much stronger non-conference schedule and Tynes has continued to be one of the most consistent players on the Black Bears as he has scored in double-figures in 15 of 18 games on the season, including three games of 20 or more points (season-high 26 against Holy Cross).

One season ago, Tynes became the first Black Bear in program history to be named a Conference Defensive Player of the Year, a National Semifinalist for 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.

Jaden Clayton: Clayton is one of the best facilitators of the basketball in the America East. He ranks fourth in total assists (84 - 79th in NCAA), fourth in assists per game (4.4 - 97th in NCAA) and does so with the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.71) in the America East. In the conference opener against Vermont, Clayton stuffed the stat-sheet with 10 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals and followed up the performance with another double-digit outing against New Hampshire for 13 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Impact at the Forward Position: The Black Bears have run out a trio of small forwards/power forwards this season that have been a big part of the teams early season success. The transfer additions of AJ Lopez and Quion Burns, paired with fifth-year forward, Ja'Shonté Wright-McLeish, has combined to score 22.4 points per game for the Black Bears. They have hit a combined 63 three-pointers, shooting 34.2% from behind the arc as a group. The trio has been just as effective on the defensive end of the floor as they have on the offensive side. They have collected 47 steals (led by Wright-McLeish's 28) and have 10 blocks as a group.

One-Two Punch at Center: Maine began the season running Kristians Feierbergs in the starting five, with Adam Cisse first off the bench as the backup big-man. Over the past eleven contests, Maine has flipped the script and inserted Cisse into the starting five with Feierbergs off the bench, which has led to some greatly improved results for both players in their production.

Feierbergs began the season shooting 2-for-17 (11.7%) from three-point range, but since coming off the bench his numbers have rose to shooting 36.7% from behind the arc and he has four of his top-five scoring performances of the season coming off of the bench.

Meanwhile, Cisse has made a much greater impact on the defensive end of the floor while running in the starting lineup as he has averaged 1.2 blocks per game in his 11 starts, including ten-straight games with a blocked shot. Cisse has averaged 10 points per game over his past two contests.

Program History against UAlbany: This will be the 45th meeting all-time between these two programs, with the Great Danes leading the series, 27-17.

Last season, UAlbany swept Maine, winning both games by a combined total of six points.

Next up: Maine will host Binghamton on Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor in their Miltary Appreciation Game. It will also be the second Cub Club Day the team has held.

-UMaine-