ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine Black Bears handled the New Hampshire Wildcats with ease Thursday night, powering to a 71-46 win at the Memorial Gym. It was Maine’s sixth straight win.
The Black Bears began the game with swarming defense, jumping out to a 9-0 lead with an onslaught of early steals, blocks and strong defensive rebounding. And they never looked back.
After allowing only one field goal in the first seven minutes, the Black Bears held the Wildcats to just 14 points in the first half.
Maine senior guard Quion Burns outscored New Hampshire by himself in the first half, leading the way with 17 points at the break. Guard Jaden Clayton added eight points in the first half, and guard Kellen Tynes notably provided three steals and a block as part of the first half defensive onslaught.
Junior forward Keelan Steele brought the crowd to its feet with an electric block of an attempted alley-oop with about three minutes left in the first half, and followed it up with a hustle play on offense to help keep possession for the Black Bears. They headed into the second half with a comfortable 37-14 lead.
Just about the only thing that didn’t go right for the home team Thursday night was a shot clock problem that extended halftime for several minutes. Tynes provided the first five points for Maine in the second half, and the final result was never much in doubt.
Tynes provided a pair of emphatic dunks, and Burns added a pair of corner three pointers to keep the momentum going. Freshman guard Caleb Crawford sealed the game with a steal before running out the clock.
Burns led the way for the Black Bears with 26 points for the game while bringing down eight rebounds. Tynes had eight points to go with his four steals and two blocks.
Sami Pissis led the scoring for New Hampshire with 20 points, and Khalil Badru added eight for the Wildcats.
Maine came into the game with a five-game win streak in America East conference play, including a thrilling overtime win at the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Jan. 23.
The Black Bears improved to 14-8 overall and 6-1 in conference matchups. They are now 6-1 at home.
