Florida International University went on a 12-2 run over a span of 1:27 in the second half on Thursday night, sparking them to a 82-74 non-conference men’s basketball win over the Maine Black Bears at Oceanbank Convocation Center in Miami.
It was a closely contested game through much of the action, as Maine was looking to bounce back from a 23 point loss to Central Florida on Monday that snapped their four game win streak. The Black Bears took their first lead on a fastbreak dunk by AJ Lopez, and then took their biggest advantage of the night with a 7-0 run on two free throws by Ja’Shonte Wright-McLeish, a layup by Wright-McLeish, and three free throws by Quion Burns to make it 18-12. They held the lead for the remainder of the first half, and 36-35 at the break. A jumper in the paint by Lopez gave the guests their final lead at 45-43 with 15:08 to play. That is when FIU went on their run that ultimately won them the game. Maine turned the ball over three times in the 1:27 span, and the Panthers scored 12 of the next 14 points helped by eight points from Jaidon Lipscomb to take over the lead for good 55-47. The Black Bears got within three on a layup by Peter Filipovity with 8:38 remaining, but the hosts had the answer each time building as much as a nine point lead in picking up the victory.
Filipovity led the way in the loss with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Maine drops back to back games for the first time this season as their record goes to 8-6. Wright-McLeish and Lopez had 13 points a piece, while Jaden Clayton also got into double figures with 10 points and nine assists. Kristians Feierbergs added nine points and six rebounds off the bench, while Adam Cisse contributed eight points. They played without starting point guard Kellen Tynes who was out with an undisclosed injury. Javaunte Hawkins led all scorers with 20 points in the win for Florida International University. Arturo Dean had 14 points, George Pridgett Jr. 12, and Lipscomb finished with 11 points. The Panthers out of Conference USA improve to 5-9. Maine plays their final non-conference game of the season next Friday, December 29 at 7 p.m. when they take on Big 10 opponent Minnesota.
Recap by Chris Lessner
The Maine men’s basketball team looks to run their offense in a game earlier this season against Merrimack College in Orono. The Black Bears would fall for a second straight time on Thursday night 82-74 to Florida International University in Miami. Photo by Chris Lessner
