Men's Basketball Loses to Second-Place Maine in America East Play at SEFCU Arena

Albany, N.Y. - Gerald McLemore had 21 points and Sean McNally added 14 in leading Maine to a 63-54 victory over UAlbany on Thursday, Jan. 21 at SEFCU Arena. The Black Bears have won seven of their last eight contests.

Maine (12-6, AE 4-1) led 44-43 with less than nine minutes remaining, but then broke the game open with a 12-2 outburst. Junior Bernal converted a drive in transition before McNally beat the shot clock with a three-point field goal from left of the key. The Black Bears pushed the lead to double figures with their defense. McLemore hit a layup after Murphy Burnatowski stripped the ball away. Terrance Mitchell connected after he stole an errant pass for a 55-45 lead.

UAlbany (6-15, AE 1-5) closed the gap to 59-54 when Tim Ambrose made a pair of throws with 52.2 seconds to play. But the Great Danes committed one of their 18 turnovers while trying to get within a single possession. Mitchell, a junior college transfer who had 12 points off the bench, added two foul shots and hit a dunk off his steal to seal the outcome.

"We were playing a veteran group," UAlbany coach Will Brown said. "We didn't take care of the ball and that led to too many easy baskets for them. If we are going to struggle to score, then our defense and rebounding have to be that much better."

The first half featured four ties and three lead changes. The Great Danes, who have dropped five of their last six outings, held a 17-12 advantage after Brett Gifford canned a foul line jumper. McLemore, a sophomore guard who was 8-of-12 from the floor, drilled one of his five 3-pointers and made a bank shot from left of the lane to tie the contest at 17 apiece. Troy Barnies later put his team ahead with a baseline turnaround and Maine took a 27-24 lead to the break.

"We know what we need to do to get a win," said UAlbany sophomore Billy Allen, who had two points and three rebounds as a reserve. "We need to get shots and stops. It comes down to confidence and getting into a groove."

UAlbany's Ambrose, a 6-foot junior, led all scorers with 24 points and eight rebounds. The Black Bears, who are now a half-game behind league-leader Vermont in the conference standings, shot 59.5 percent from the field, including 11-of-16 in the final period. The Great Danes' top scorer Will Harris did not play due to an injured knee.

Paw Prints: Tim Ambrose scored 20 or more points for the 15th time as a collegian ... Ambrose needs 46 points to reach the 1,000-career mark ... Will Harris, who was averaging 14.1 points coming into the contest, missed the game with a knee contustion and is listed as day-to-day ... Maine's 59.5-percent shooting was the best mark by an opponent this season ... UAlbany students returned to campus on Wednesday for spring semester classes.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information