Pittsburgh, PA - The Black Bears came away with the victory in a back-and-forth contest against Duquesne on Wednesday night, 61-56.

The Black Bears jumped out to an early 10-3 lead after the first five minutes of action.

The Black Bears pushed the lead out to double-digits on a three-pointer from Christopher Mantis at the 12:49 mark in the opening half.

Duquesne tied the contest up at 29-29 with a minute to go until halftime, which was where the score stood as the game entered halftime.

AJ Lopez led the Black Bears in scoring as he had 8 points in the opening half of action. Christopher Mantis had 6 points and 2 steals off the bench as he knocked down a pair of three-pointers.

Kellen Tynes had 4 points, 3 steals and a block in the first half.

Duquesne took their first lead of the night at the 18:06 mark in the second half before the Black Bears retook the lead on a pair of free throws two possessions later.

The two sides started trading buckets as neither side gained more than a four-point advantage until just 21.7 seconds remaining in the contest when Jaden Clayton hit a pair of free throws.

Maine came away with the victory, 61-56.

Lopez finished with a game-high 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field.

Tynes finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals while Quion Burns rounded the top-three scorers for the Black Bears as he had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Maine (7-5) continues their road trip on Saturday, Dec. 14 with a trip to Canisius. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 PM.

-UMaine-