Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Maine Sports

Media Credit: Lisa Roth Kaimondre Owes, junior guard, protects the ball from Hartford's Michael Turner.

The University of Maine men's basketball team was 4-6 going into Christmas break on Dec. 21. Now the team is 5-13 overall, 1-4 in conference play and has dropped to the bottom of the America East Conference standings. Still, the young team remains optimistic and hopes to work out the kinks.

"We're doing some things well," sophomore guard Mark Socoby said. "We just need to do everything consistently, every game, and when we start doing that I think we'll start getting some W's."

The team's struggles began with a lopsided 105-60 loss to the University of Connecticut on Dec. 22. They beat the University of Maine at Augusta in an exhibition match 109-69 but followed that up by dropping three consecutive, close road games to Canisius College, Colgate and conference rival, Stony Brook. On Jan. 12, the Black Bears upset conference leader University of Maryland Baltimore-County, 77-74. Since then, the team has lost to Vermont, New Hampshire, and most recently Hartford, both close games.

"It's better to learn from a win, but you definitely still learn from a loss," sophomore guard Junior Bernal said. "There are some good things in there, we just need to keep working and try to play better defense and make some big shots."

The Black Bears had their fair share of big shots on Monday night against Hartford but still came up short. Bernal hit a three pointer at the buzzer for a 36-29 halftime lead. The Black Bears held a 13-point lead early in the second half but found themselves trailing by four with 7:25 remaining. Junior guard Kaimandre Owes hit a three to pull within one and Socoby added two threes with defenders in his face to help UMaine take a 63-62 lead with 4:30 left to play.

Owes hit two free throws to put UMaine down one with 31.5 seconds to play. Hartford made two free throws to go up 72-69. Senior center Brian Andre scored with fewer than 10 seconds remaining, but Hartford responded again by making two free throws to go up by three. Maine blew its last chance to score off a low inbounds pass that Socoby could not hold onto and lost out-of-bounds. UMaine lost in a nailbiter 76-71.

"I want to win for them," Coach Woodward said after the game. "This is a good team and they work hard."

Owes led UMaine against Hartford with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Bernal added 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Socoby, UMaine's leading scorer on the season, turned in nine points after battling foul trouble through most of the game.

The Black Bears have four players averaging over 10 points per game. They average 37.3 rebounds per game, and they are getting substantial production from the first-year players.

Owes said his team needs to get control of the little things disrupting its success and they will become a dominant force.

"We need to just take it one game at a time and learn from our mistakes; we need to stick together," Owes said.

The Black Bears look to turn things around on the road against the two-time defending conference champion University of Albany and will return to Alfond Arena on Sunday, Jan. 27 to face Binghamton at noon.

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