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Black Bears Edged By Terriers, 58-55
ORONO, Maine.-- The University of Maine men's basketball team led by as many as nine points in the second half, but was unable to hold off a Boston University comeback and fell to the Terriers 58-55 on Saturday afternoon in Memorial Gym in Orono, Maine in front of 1,446 fans. The Black Bears fall to 2-6 on the season, 0-2 in America East play, while Boston University improves to 3-5 overall, 2-0 in conference play. The loss snapped Maine's five-game winning streak at home.
Maine jumped out to an early 11-2 lead in the game after a pair of baskets by Olli Ahvenniemi (Vaasa, Finland) and a pair of three-point field goals by Ernest Turner (Camden, N.J.). BU answered with a 12-1 run to take a 14-12 lead. Kevin Gardner had six points to spark the BU run. Ernest Turner stopped the Terrier run with a layup. He followed with a conventional three-point play and Philippe Tchekane Bofia (Yaounde, Cameroon) hit a jumper to give Maine the 19-14 lead once again. The Terriers regained the lead on a 8-2 run with a Corey Hassan three-pointer giving BU its first lead of the game, 22-21. Maine extended the lead to six points at halftime when Rashard Turner (Peekskill, N.Y.) drained a three-pointer with just seconds remaining in the half. Maine extended its lead to as many as nine points, 48-39 in the second half. The Terriers answered with a 10-0 run over a three and a half minute span to grab a 49-48 lead. Gardner and Hassan each had four points for the Terriers during the run. Maine answered with a layup by Chris Bruff (Bloomfield, Conn.) with 5:04 remaining to regain the 50-49 lead. A jumper by BU's Brian Macon and a free throw by Hassan gave the Terriers a 52-50 lead. The Terriers extended their lead to four points, but Maine was quick to answer with a layup by Ernest Turner. BU added four late free throws to take a 58-52 lead. Rashard Turner hit a three-pointer as time expired and Maine fell 58-55. Maine was led by Ernest Turner who had 15 points and four rebounds. Philippe Tchekane Bofia (Yaounde, Cameroon) added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Jon Sheets (Grass Valley, Calif.) chipped in with nine points and four assists. Kevin Gardner and Corey Hassan each finished with 16 points for Boston University. Gardner grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Maine shot 38.9 percent in the game, including 44.4 percent from three-point range. Boston University connected 36 percent of the time. The Black Bears return to action on Tuesday, December 13 when they host Dartmouth College at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine at 7:00 p.m.
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