Ja’Shonte Wright-McLeish led 13 players in scoring on Saturday afternoon with 15 points, as the Maine Black Bears picked up a 86-50 non-conference men’s basketball victory over in state opponent from the Division III ranks the University of New England at Memorial Gym in Orono.
The Nor’Easters (1-10) stayed with the Black Bears early on. UNE led 10-7 about 6:30 into the first half. Wright-McLeish knocked down a three-pointer at the 11:02 mark to put Maine up for good 18-15. A 19-3 run extended the lead to 34-18 finished off by another three by Wright-McLeish, and the hosts led 42-27 at the half. Maine (3-6) shrugged off a tough start from the floor to end up shooting 52% for the day. The Bears 36 point margin of victory was the largest lead of the afternoon.
Vukasin Masic and Novak Perovic also got into double figures in the win. Masic had 11 points and four rebounds, and Perovic added 10 points and five rebounds. 10 other players had at least two points. Maine has three wins now on the season, all against D3 competition (0-6 vs D1). Alex Kravchuk led UNE with 17 points. The Nor’Easters finished at 35% from the field in the loss. The Black Bears will host Merrimack College at the Cross Insurance Center on Tuesday evening at 5 p.m.
