Peter Filipovity had a double double on Saturday afternoon and two other players scored in double figures, helping to lead the Maine Black Bears to a 70-64 America East men’s basketball win over the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) at the NJIT Wellness and Events Center in Newark, New Jersey. The win snaps a six game losing streak for Maine and also gives them their first conference win of the season.
Maine never trailed. They broke out to an early 9-2 lead four minutes in, with Filipovity scoring seven of those. NJIT battled back to tie it on several occasions, before the Black Bears used a run of 15-4 in a six minute span capped off by a three-pointer by AJ Lopez to extend their advantage to 32-21. They held a 32-25 halftime lead. The Highlanders got within one possession several times in the second half, but a key three-pointer by Ja’Shonte Wright-McLeish, two free throws by Kellen Tynes, and a layup by Jaden Clayton all in the last 1:11 would ice the road victory for Maine.
Filipovity had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the way in the win. Tynes and Adam Cisse also scored 12 points a piece. Tynes added eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Wright-McLeish chipped in with nine points, while Clayton and Lopez contributed six points each. Maine is now 9-10, 1-3 in America East. Mekhi Gray led all scorers in the loss for NJIT with 21 points. The Highlanders are now 4-13, 0-5 in conference play. The Black Bears return home to take on Albany on Thursday night in the Pit in Orono at 6 p.m.
Recap by Chris Lessner
