By Anthony Panciocco

The University of Maine men’s basketball team lost their first game at the Cross Insurance Center 88-82 to the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders. The Black Bears see their record fall to 1-3 on the year, while the Highlanders improve to 3-2.

UMaine sophomore forward Dimitry Akanda-Coronel was a huge factor for the Black Bears, setting a career high with 29 points, 26 of which came in the second half. He hit five 3-pointers, four in the second 20 minutes, and was 20-29 from the floor.

“In the first half I was passing the ball, trying to get everyone involved,” Akanda-Coronel said. “In the second half, I had to step it up, so I took the shots I usually take in practice because last game I wasn’t playing in that position, so I had to step it up.”

Both teams struggled to score early, with both teams struggling to finish around the hoop in the early going. The score stood at 7-2 in the Highlanders’ favor five minutes into the game.

“One thing we have to focus on as we grow as a team is, when things aren’t falling our way, the defensive consistency that we have to have can carry you through games,” UMaine head coach Ted Woodward said.

“If you go back to the first four minutes of the game, we couldn’t buy a basket, but we were only down 2-0. We strung together a few good defensive stops through that sequence, but our goal has to be to do that through all 40 minutes.”

UMaine sophomore guard Shaun Lawton hit a 3-pointer and after Highlander guard Damon Lynn made a layup, freshman guard Troy Reid-Knight drilled another from the corner to bring the Black Bears within one point at 12-11.

The Highlanders proceeded to go on a 13-2 run, bringing the score to 25-12 and prompting the Black Bears to call their first timeout of the game.

UMaine responded well after the timeout. Sophomore forward Ethan Mackey took a bullet pass from freshman guard Garet Beal for a layup and hustled back to grab a rebound off of a missed shot by Lynn. The Black Bears failed to convert off of the rebound, but Beal swiped the ball from NJIT sophomore guard Nigel Sydnor moments later, dishing it to Akanda-Coronel for a momentum-changing 3-pointer to cut the deficit to eight.

Five Black Bears combined for a 15-5 run, capped off by a Lawton steal and a fastbreak dunk to cut the lead to just one point.

UMaine looked to hold the momentum with two minutes left, but it would not last. On the Highlanders ensuing possession, sophomore guard Emmanuel Tselentakis found Sydnor for a corner 3. When Beal failed to respond with a 3-point attempt of his own, Lynn hit three straight free throws and proceeded to take over the game with two 3-pointers as the half came to a close.

With Lynn spearheading a 12-point explosion from NJIT, the Highlanders went into the half up 42-29.

“I didn’t really want to take it [the game] over, but it was presented to me. Coach made me tough, and he told me not to back down,” Lynn said.

The Black Bears have struggled rebounding this season, going into the game with a minus-6.7 rebounding differential. They led the battle on the glass by a slim 21-20 margin at the half.

The Highlanders extended their lead to 17 in the second half, but the Black Bears showed no quit down the stretch. With just over eight minutes left, Lawton floated a beautiful pass over the defense to Akanda-Coronel, who laid it in. Two 3-pointers by Valjarevic and Akanda-Coronel and an 18-foot jumper from Akanda-Coronel brought them back within six.

The crowd in the brand-new Cross Insurance Center woke up with Akanda-Coronel’s jumper, something the team and Akanda-Coronel appreciated.

“The impact of the crowd was huge,”Akanda-Coronell said. “Hearing their voices and hearing that atmosphere, it gives us that motivation to go hard.”

Reid-Knight and Coronel led a non-stop Black Bear attack in the last five minutes, scoring 4 and 13 points, respectively. However, NJIT’s steadfast free-throw shooting proved to be the difference late in the contest, connecting on 17 of 19 in the second half and 22-28 overall.

“This shows a lot about the character of my guys and their cohesiveness as a team. I’m really excited for the rest of the season,” NJIT head coach Jim Engles said.

The Black Bears trailed in rebounds 39-37, but controlled the boards much better than they had through the first three games. This success was largely due to an 11 rebound performance by Mackey and a nine-board effort from Beal.

“I think it was all about effort. We had a lot of guys battling down low to get rebounds. We had more size than they did but it was really all about the effort,” Beal said.

UMaine struggled shooting in the first half, going 11-33 but improved in the second frame, hitting 18-35. New Jersey shot the ball well throughout the game, finishing 29-60.

The Highlanders concluded a busy week against UMaine, featuring four road games in which they went 3-1.

The Black Bears will host Quinnipiac University in the Cross Center Nov. 25 at 7 p.m.