The Maine men’s basketball team made a second half run after trailing by 15, but could not come all the way back in dropping a 58-53 non-conference decision to Brown University on Skip Chappelle Court at Memorial Gymnasium in Orono on Sunday afternoon.
Brown (2-4) led 48-33 on a three-pointer by Brady Loughlin with 13:09 left to play. Maine made a run at it, outscoring the visiting Bears 18-6 over the next 10 minutes to slice it to 54-51 with 3:13 remaining on a layup by Ryan Mabrey. The Black Bears had several opportunities in the final few minutes to get within one or tie it, but came up empty and also committed a costly turnover with 10 seconds left on an inbounds pass from the backcourt while still down by three. The guests were able to scoop up the errant pass and Jeremiah Jenkins sank two free throws to ice it.
Landon Lewis led Brown with 13 points, while N’famara Dabo added 11. TJ Biel had a team-high 12 points for Maine, while Mabrey finished with 11. Ace Flagg had four points and six rebounds in 27 minutes. The Black Bears are now 0-6 to start a season for the first time since the 1985-86 campaign when they were part of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC). Maine will now hit the road for a holiday tournament beginning next Friday at American University in Washington, DC where they will play American, Longwood University, and Siena College in a three day span.
Photos courtesy of UMaine Athletics
