University of Maine head coach Bob Walsh was visibly distraught after the Black Bears dropped their 13th contest of the year Thursday night. He preached hard work and reestablishing a winning attitude for UMaine basketball.
His team took a step in that direction Sunday when, after losing a pair of games earlier in the week, the Black Bears travelled to Hartford University and won 70-61 Sunday afternoon. After this week, UMaine now sits at 2-18 overall and 1-6 in America East Conference play.
Black Bears fall to NJIT
The Black Bears fell to the New Jersey Institute of Technology by a score of 65-55 Monday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
A 15-2 run by the Highlanders upended Maine’s seven point lead late in the second half to give NJIT the advantage. UMaine fourth-year forward Zarko Valjarevic led the team with 12 points and seven rebounds. NJIT second-year guard Damon Lynn led all scorers with 27 points, shooting 7-16 from the field in contest and sparking the surge that allowed the Highlanders to overcome a seven point deficit late in the second half.
Maine received strong contributions from first-year guard Kevin Little and second-year guard Garet Beal as well. Little tallied 11 points and four assists and Beal added 10 points and six rebounds to keep the Black Bears within reach of the Highlanders.
Back and forth action up and down the court kept things competitive for the first few minutes of the opening half, but NJIT went on a 9-2 run midway through the period to take a 17-9 lead.
The Black Bears would cut the Highlanders lead to just four points before Lynn sunk a three-point shot to extend NJIT’s lead to seven points.
Maine strung together a 7-0 run to knot the game at 22 points each. Little scored a three-pointer of his own and first-year guard Aaron Calixte added a layup to start the run. Little finished the seven point spurt with a jump shot to tie the game 22-22.
NJIT held a slight advantage going into halftime, outscoring the Black Bears 25-24 in the opening period.
Valjarevic came out shooting in the second half, giving the Black Bears a 43-36 lead after leading a 14-7 spurt at the beginning of the period. The seven point advantage was Maine’s largest in the game.
Valjarevic nailed a trio of three-point attempts on three consecutive Maine possessions, closing the gap and extending the Black Bears lead to 38-36. Little tallied his second three-point bucket of the contest and second-year forward Erik Nissen added a shot in the paint in the 14 point burst to secure the 43-36 Black Bear lead.
The Highlanders answered Maine with a 15-2 run of their own, giving them a 51-45 lead with less than five minutes in the contest.
Valjarevic brought the Black Bears within three points when he tallied his fourth three-point shot of the contest with three minutes remaining. Maine was unable to respond to the Highlanders late offensive explosion, and NJIT coasted to a 65-55 victory with the aid of free throw shooting in the late fouling situation.
Little matches career-high points
Kevin Little matched a career-high with 15 points Thursday night, though it was not enough to upend UMBC, who left Bangor with a 76-59 win.
Little added three assists and three steals on the night.
“I’ve always said: The losses don’t bother me,” UMaine head coach Bob Walsh said. “It’s how we compete. That’s what we evaluate.”
Third-year UMBC forward Cody Joyce was the star of the game, shooting 11-16 from the field and knocking down six free throws for a game-high 28 points and eight rebounds.
Efficient shooting was the difference-maker in the game for the Retrievers, who shot 52 percent from the field, including 80 percent in the first half.
A pair of three-point shots near the halfway point of the first frame from Little and Zarko Valjarevic gave the Black Bears a four-point lead, their largest of the game.
Rebounding and consistent free throw shooting for the rest of the first frame sent the Retrievers into the half up 26-21.
The Black Bears could not keep pace with UMBC on the boards, where UMBC held a 38-27 advantage.
UMaine kept pace for the early portion of the second half, though an 8-0 UMBC run with nine minutes left put the game away.
UMaine upsets Hartford
The Black Bears were able to upset the Hartford Hawks Sunday thanks to a fantastic performance from Kevin Little. Little, who has averaged 8.6 points per game, went off for a career-high 25 points. He added three assists and a trio of boards in the win.
UMaine jumped out to an early 7-2 lead thanks to five quick points form Little. Both teams battled back and forth for the first half, with the Black Bears eventually taking a 29-26 lead into halftime.
Gloger and Valjarevic both turned in valuable performances for UMaine, scoring 14 points apiece. Gloger added 10 rebounds for another double-double.
Fourth-year Hartford forward Mark Nwakamma hit a jump shot with 11 minutes remaining to give the Hawks a 44-42 advantage. Nwakamma finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, both team-highs.
The Hawks went on to take a 50-46 lead, but five straight points from Little put the Black Bears back in the lead.
The Black Bears took the lead for the final time on a Valjarevic three-pointer that set off an 8-2 UMaine run to put the game away.
Valjarevic hit another three with 1:12 left in the game to put the nail in the coffin on the Hawks and secure the upset.
UMaine returns to the hardwood when they host the University of New Hampshire Wednesday at the Cross Insurance Center at 7 p.m.