The University of Maine men’s basketball team suffered a frustrating, 76-74 overtime loss at the University of Binghamton on Thursday night, falling down to seventh place in the America East.
Tied 62-62 after regulation, 3-pointers from UMaine juniors Kellen Tynes and Kristians Feierbergs were ultimately canceled out by three turnovers, which were converted into six fast break points for Binghamton. A putback layup for Bearcat forward Nehemiah Benson and two Dan Petcash free throws provided enough cushion for the hosts to secure the season sweep over UMaine.
Thursday’s matchup was UMaine’s third-final game of the regular season, and a must-win for the Black Bears who are desperately trying to avoid No. 1 Vermont, No. 2 UMass-Lowell and No. 3 Bryant in the first round of the America East playoffs.
The loss snapped a two game winning streak for No. 7 UMaine (5-9 in-Conference), who swapped placements with No. 5 Binghamton (5-9 in-Conference) in the America East standings after Thursday night’s loss.
Binghamton had led 39-31 at halftime with the help of some uncharacteristic 7-for-10 3-point shooting, but UMaine roared back in front when play resumed, taking a 47-41 lead with 13:56 remaining. The two sides traded blows for the rest of the second half, culminating in two ugly final possessions in which UMaine committed a shot clock violation and Binghamton senior Armon Harried missed a putback layup at the final buzzer.
