Burlington, VT – The University of Maine men's basketball team came up just short in their comeback effort at Vermont on Saturday afternoon.
 
Maine grabbed their first lead of the afternoon with 8:04 remaining in the first half on an AJ Lopez three-pointer at 11-10 following a strong defensive start from both sides across the opening 10 minutes.
 
Vermont jumped back in front and was able to hold onto the small lead into halftime at 28-23.
 
Christopher Mantis knocked down 3 three-pointers as he scored a game-high 9 points in the opening half of action.
 
Quion Burns had 6 rebounds while Killian Gribben had 3 blocks in 10 minutes off the bench.
 
Jaden Clayton had a pair of steals in the first half.
 
The defensive battle continued as Maine slowly chipped away at the Catamount lead, tying the contest up with 54 seconds remaining in the contest on a Burns layup as the score stood at 49-49.
 
Vermont knocked down a late three-pointer and their free throws to snap the Black Bears six-game win streak by a final score of 55-49.
 
Maine (14-9, 6-2 AE) returns to Orono for their next three games as they begin the homestand on Thursday, Feb. 6 against NJIT. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 PM.
 
-UMaine-