Black Bears 61, Binghamton 49

Black Bears needed this one. Black Bears came out of the halftime locker room and took it.

After visiting Binghamton cut the Black Bear lead to 50-49 with a shade more than 2 minutes to go, UMaine closed with an 11-0 run for an important America East victory.

With the win, UMaine moves into sole possession of third-place, a half-game behind Vermont. The Black Bears and Vermont are even in the loss column. The Black Bears will board a plane for Baltimore Sunday en route to Monday's game at UMBC. It will be the first of three straight road games for UMaine.

Binghamton (11-14, 6-4 Amercia East) had come to Maine (15-8, 7-3) on a four-game win streak.

Sean McNally (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Terrance Mitchell (15 points, 4 rebounds) sparked UMaine. Mitchell scored 14 of his points in the first half as the Black Bears struggled to a 25-22 lead.

Gerald McLemore contributed nine points and five rebounds and Murphy Burnatowski added seven points, five rebounds and two blocks.

The Black Bears' defense was consistent throughout, holding Binghamton's top scorer, Greer Wright to 11 points, all in the second half. Wright entered the game averaging 23 a game during the Bearcats' four-game winning streak. UMaine held a 6- to 10-point lead for much of the second half.

So frustrated were the Bearcats with their offensive sets that they resorted to spreading the floor and just giving the ball to Wright and asking him to go one-on-one. It didn't work as the Black Bears pulled away after the lead was cut to one. McLemore hit a huge 3-pointer from the left corner late in the contest.