What a way to ring in the new year: A victory over a BCS conference program and big fat check for playing them.
That's what the Black Bears earned Saturday as they outplayed Boston College down the stretch and scatched out a one-point win at Chestnut Hill.
The Black Bears (7-5) controlled the tempo of the game and dared Boston College (9-5) to win from the outside. The Eagles did hit nine 3-pointers, but when they didn't, UMaine usualy grabbed the rebound and patiently worked the offense.
Coming into the game, the Eagles were ranked No. 97 in the RPI while Maine stood at 220.
UMaine consistently found good shots underneath. Big hoops late in the game from Gerald McLemore (14 points), Junior Bernal, Malachi Peay and Troy Barnies, as well as a couple free throws from Sean McNally (15 points, 7 rebounds) lifted the Black Bears.
A good win for a team that has struggled to close games in recent years. UMaine trailed by as many as eight points, but kept fighting back. Now, the task for the Black Bears is to take this momentum and confidence and push it over into the rest of the America East season.
UMaine closes its non-conference schedule with a game Monday at home against Princeton.
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2 comments:
Huge win for the program. Great team defense, great effort, terrific game plan. A proud moment for Black Bear fans.
Nice to see them have some success. Black Bears played well enough down the stretch to win this one by six or seven points. They were better than BC in crunch time. They dared BC to try and win it from outside and stuck with it the whole game. Hope they can build on it.
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