Ace Flagg had his best game in his freshman collegiate season on Thursday night, with a free throw and a key jumper late as Maine rallied past Albany 52-49 in America East men’s basketball action on Skip Chappelle Court at Memorial Gymnasium in Orono.
After a tight beginning to the first half between the teams, the Great Danes used a 15-4 run to open a 31-20 lead and would take a 33-24 advantage to the break. After trailing by 11 once again early in the second half, the Black Bears used an 8-0 spurt to cut it to three finished off by a Flagg layup in the paint with 12:21 remaining. Flagg gave his team their first lead since just past the halfway mark of the opening half by hitting two free throws with 4:25 left. With the score even at 46-46, Flagg ultimately put Maine up for good with a 1-2 effort at the charity stripe with 1:55 to play. He would hit a jumper just over a minute later, giving the hosts their first home conference win and also their first home win over a Division I opponent this season. They would hold the Great Danes to 16 points on just 27% shooting in the final 20 minutes (1-13 three-pointers).
Abdoulaye Fall led Albany in the loss with 16 points and five rebounds. The Great Danes fall to 7-13 and 3-2 in America East. Logan Carey and Mekhi Gray both had 13 points for Maine. Flagg filled up the stat sheet finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one blocked shot. TJ Biel chipped in seven points and five rebounds. The Black Bears record goes to 4-17 and 2-4 in conference play, and they’ll return to action on Saturday when they host Binghamton at 2 p.m.
Photo of Ace Flagg from a game against Quinnipiac earlier this season in Orono
