The University of Maine men's basketball team defeated UMBC by the score of 84-63 on Monday evening at the Retriever Activities Center in Baltimore, Md. With the win, Maine improves to 16-8 overall and 8-3 in America East while UMBC falls to 2-22 and 1-10 in league play. Maine was led by its America East Player of the Game Gerald McLemore (San Diego, Calif.) who had 25 points.

After falling behind 4-0, Maine scored the next seven points on a Junior Bernal (Manhattan, N.Y.) layup and two Murphy Burnatowski (Waterloo, Ontario) layups, including layup and a foul for a three-point play.

Maine would extend the lead when McLemore made a three-pointer from the top of the arc and Sean McNally (Gardiner, Maine) made a layup off a nice feed from Bernal.

Maine held a 15-7 lead with 12 minutes to play, and after a UMBC bucket the Black Bears answered when McNally backed down his defender in the post and made a nice jump-hook.

The Black Bears then got a defensive stop and Terrance Mitchell (Milton, Fla.) found Burnatowski for a fastbreak layup. The Black Bears made another stop and Mitchell found McLemore for a three-pointer to push the lead to 22-9 with under 10 minutes left in the first half.

The Retrievers went on a run, closing the lead to 26-17 with under five minutes to play, but a nifty turnaround jumper by Burnatowski and a fastbreak layup and a pair of free throws by Mitchell pushed the lead to 32-17 with just under four minutes to play.

The teams would trade baskets, and Maine would go into halftime with a 34-21 lead.

The Black Bears were led in the first half by McLemore who had 12 points and three rebounds and by Burnatowski who had nine points and six rebounds. Mitchell added four points and five assists.

Maine shot 44.8 percent in the first half while holding UMBC to 32.1 percent. The Black Bears outrebounded the Retrievers 24-13.

Bernal got things off in the second half as he made a nice pass around a defender to McNally who made the layup.

Maine would then score six out of the next eight points to take a 42-23 lead with 16:42 left in the game.

The Retrievers would close the lead to 48-34, but a Malachi Peay (Brooklyn. N.Y.) layup and foul with 12 minutes left pushed the lead back to 17.

The Back Bears then went on a 9-to-2 run, courtesy of nine points from McLemore to extend the lead to 60-36 with under 10 minutes remaining.

Maine then went on a 16-to-2 run to push the lead out of reach of the Retrievers.

Bernal finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

-U-M-

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