Orono, ME -Â The University of Maine men's basketball team heads to Bryant on Saturday afternoon having won three of their last four America East games.
Last Time Out -- The Black Bears defeated Vermont for the first time in Orono since 2013 as they picked up the victory, 76-70.
Caleb Crawford had a career-high 21 points while Mekhi Gray and TJ Biel both had 17 in the win.
Lean on the Defense -- The Black Bears are once again showing that their one of the top defenses in all of the NCAA.
After a mid-season spike that saw their defense jump into the 100's in the NCAA, the Black Bears have been playing some of the best defense in all of the NCAA to help drop their PPG allowed to just 68.9, the 63rd-best mark in all of the NCAA and top of the America East.
Maine is also allowing just 30.6% of three-pointers to fall, the 47th-best mark in the NCAA, which leads the America East, along with their 7.8 steals per game, the 84th-best mark in the country.
Career Night for Crawford - Caleb Crawford shattered every offensive number in his career when the Black Bears hosted the Catamounts on Feb. 5.
He scored 21 points, surpassing his previous career-high by 12, he knocked down six-of-seven shots, including a three-for-four mark from three, along with going a perfect six-for-six from the free throw line, all in 27 minutes off the bench.
Impactful Players -- Logan Carey, Mekhi Gray and TJ Biel have been staples of the Black Bears recent surge in the America East standings.
Biel leads the trio in PPG at 14.8 in conference only games., followed by Gray's 13.8 and then Carey at 11.1. Carey has dished out 24 assists and swiped 20 steals in the lead guard position while Gray has averaged 15.5 PPG in his last four games on 59% shooting from the field.
Series History -- This will be the 10th meeting all-time between these two sides and the second of the 2025-26 season.
Bryant holds the all-time lead at 7-2, including a narrow victory in Orono in the first meeting back in January, 56-51. TJ Biel had 20 points for the Black Bears in the contest.
-UMaine-
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