UMaine men’s basketball heads to America East final ‘but the job’s not done’

Defense did it again for the University of Maine men’s basketball team.

For the first time in over 20 years, the Black Bears have punched their ticket to the America East Conference men’s basketball final. And they defied recent history in the process, earning UMaine’s first win on Vermont’s home court since 2011.

Coach Chris Markwood’s Black Bears team, led by three-time America East Defensive Player of the Year Kellen Tynes, earned the 57-42 win over the Catamounts with the same swarming defense that helped powered UMaine to a third place conference finish in the regular season.

“I’m just proud of our guys,” Markwood said in a postgame interview on ESPN+. “To come into this environment, and to guard the way they guarded, to make the plays they needed to make to come out of here with a win, just really proud of them. I’m happy that they’re getting to experience this. Still playing, still got one more to get, but proud of the effort tonight.”

Tynes once again set the pace for the Black Bears, leading the team with both 13 points and 13 rebounds. And the UMaine men’s all-time steals leader added three more Tuesday night.

“We’re gonna take his lead. He’s been in these moments,” Markwood said about Tynes, noting that the graduate student guard played in the NCAA tournament with Montana State before transferring to Maine. “So out of all the guys in our locker room, if there’s one guy that’s experienced this type of run, it’s him. And he’s carrying us right now, he’s playing great basketball.”

UMaine had lost both regular season contests against Vermont, and was just 2-34 against the Catamounts coming into Tuesday night’s game since 2011. But as Markwood explained earlier in the week, the Black Bears headed into a tough away atmosphere with an us-against-the-world attitude.

That attitude translated into relentless defense, and that defense translated into a hard-fought win for UMaine Tuesday night.

The Black Bears move on to the America East championship on Saturday, which will take place at 11 a.m. against either Bryant or Albany. Those teams play later Tuesday night.

Ileri Ayo-Faleye led the game with 14 points for Vermont, and Sam Alamutu brought down an impressive 21 rebounds. But it wasn’t enough for the Catamounts.

Markwood said it was “another heck of a year” for Vermont, where he worked as an assistant coach earlier in his career.

Markwood was also asked what the win means to him as someone from Maine, who played at UMaine, to reach the conference championship.

“It means a lot that we got our program back in a spot where we’re competing for a title,” said Markwood, who is in just his third year at the helm. “Like I said earlier, I’m just really proud of our guys — the effort that they’ve made. Happy for our community that they’re gonna get to experience it a little bit too. But the job’s not done. We’ve still got to get one to really get where we want to go.”

Markwood said the Black Bears will need “another great effort” from Tynes and the entire team on Saturday.