Jaden Clayton scored at the hoop after a deceptive hesitation move, then drilled two free throws in the final seconds to help the University of Maine men’s basketball team secure a 72-68 win over the University of Albany on Saturday night.
The Black Bears (9-12) trailed by as many as 13 points at Albany on Saturday but turned the second half around quickly. UMaine’s win is its third in a row after suffering through an eight-game losing streak.
Clayton stole the ball for a second time and found Ja’Shonté Wright-McLeish at the hoop for an easy basket and a lead with 5:35 left, 58-56.
With 4:17 left, Clayton scored at the hoop as part of his 12-point performance, but on the play UMaine’s Kristians Feierbergs got hurt and left the game with an apparent left leg injury.
Ata Turgut hit a 3-pointer off an assist from Clayton, one of four on the night, to put UMaine ahead 67-63 with 2:20 to play. On the ensuing UMaine possession, Clayton dribbled into the paint and made a hesitation move that fooled both his defenders which led to a wide-open layup.
Albany’s Sarju Patel hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to pull the Great Danes (6-17) within two, but it was too little, too late.
After an up-and-down first half for the Black Bears, Wright-McLeish was there to right the ship.
Wright-McLeish scored five quick points to begin the second half to pull UMaine into a tie, 36-36, with 17:30 to play.
Wright-McLeish led the way with 16 points for UMaine.
The senior wing then hit a 3-pointer with 14:20 to play to give UMaine’s its biggest lead of the game, 45-40.
Albany went on a quick 9-2 run before Kellen Tynes, Maine’s star do-it-all guard, earned one of his five steals on the night and sprinted the other way for a dunk that tied the game at 49-49.
In the second half, UMaine forced six turnovers while only committing one as a team.
Albany’s Trey Hutcheson drained a triple to give the Great Danes a three-point lead with 10:29 to play.
Wright-McLeish drilled another triple to pull within two, then two minutes later Clayton stole the ball and drove up the court, finding Turgut who dropped it off to Tynes for an easy layup on the fast break.
On the next possession, Tynes stole the ball again and was all alone for a layup that tied the contest up at 56-all with seven minutes to play.
Tynes entered Saturday’s game as the NCAA Division I leader in steals-per-game with 3.05.
Gedi Juozapaitis added 15 points for UMaine who will travel to Bryant on Wednesday.
