Three players scored in double figures on Wednesday night, led by a game-high 17 point performance from senior guard AJ Lopez as the Maine Black Bears got past the Duquesne University Dukes 61-56 in a men’s non-conference basketball matchup at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Maine never trailed in the first half hitting 6 of their first 11 shots to build a 15-5 lead just over seven minutes in, and holding Duquesne to just a 2-15 start from the floor. Lopez had four of those points, while Christopher Mantis came off the bench to drill a three-pointer to help build that 10 point advantage. The Dukes would come to life going on a run of 11-2 over the next 4:12 helped by three-pointers by Jakub Necas, Cameron Crawford, and Kareem Rozier to slice the deficit to 17-16. The Black Bears didn’t let the hosts overtake the lead as they would score 12 of the next 17 points that included another three-pointer by Mantis, fastbreak dunks by Lopez and Kellen Tynes, and a three-pointer by Jaden Clayton to restore an eight point bulge at 29-21. Duquesne sent the game to halftime tied when they ended the final five minutes on an 8-0 spurt, sparked by a three-point play by David Dixon and a three-pointer by Tre Dinkins.
The second half saw five ties and 11 lead changes. Duquesne took their first lead of the game 32-31 on a free throw by Jahsean Corbett 1:54 in. The teams went back and forth exchanging the lead, with the Dukes taking their biggest advantage at 54-50 on a three-pointer by Dinkins with 3:21 left to play. Lopez responded with a three-pointer on the next possession for Maine, and after a turnover by Dinkins he would make a beautiful one handed scoop shot in the lane as he was falling to the floor to put the Black Bears up for good 55-54 with 1:36 remaining. They capped off the road win at the free throw line, as Clayton and Tynes combined to go 4-4 over the final 21 seconds.
Lopez went 7-11 from the floor and also added six rebounds to his game-high point total in the win for Maine. Tynes contributed 12 points (8-8 free throws), also registering four rebounds and four steals. Quion Burns also got into double figures with 10 points (5-8 shooting), with five rebounds and three assists. Clayton chipped in seven points, four rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Mantis finished with six points off the bench. The Black Bears had 12 steals as a team. Dinkins led Duquesne in the loss with 12 points (4-6 three-pointers), while Corbett had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Dukes out of the Atlantic 10 Conference fall to 2-8 on the season. Maine is now 7-5 and heads to Buffalo, New York on Saturday to battle Canisius University. The Golden Griffins, who play out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, have an 0-10 record on the year. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Photos by Chris Lessner from a Maine men’s basketball win over Holy Cross on November 24 in the Pit on Skip Chappelle Court in Orono. The Black Bears put three players in double figures on Wednesday, December 11 in a 61-56 road win over Duquesne University
