Peacocks get past UMaine for third

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MIAMI – Kamaal McQueen scored 26 points, including 16 in the second half, as St. Peter’s defeated Maine 79-70 in the third-place game of the Florida International University Tip-Off Classic.

St. Peter’s (1-1) was down 43-34 with 19:24 remaining in the game after Derrick Jackson of Maine (0-3) scored on a 3-pointer, but the Peacocks scored nine straight points and drew even at 43 on a layup by the burly McQueen (6-foot-5, 280 pounds) less than two minutes later.

St. Peter’s grabbed its first lead of the night, 49-47 with 12:50 left when Corey Hinnant scored a field goal. The Peacocks never trailed again.

Maine closed to within one, 62-61, on a Clayton Brown basket with 4:51 to play, but St. Peter’s scored the next eight points on four consecutive layups, the last two by McQueen, and regained the momentum.

Brown led Maine with 23 points with 10 rebounds and teammates Errick Greene and Justin Rowe had 16 points each for Maine. Derrick Jackson added 10 points for the Bears.

Rowe, a 7-foot junior, also had 10 rebounds and three blocked shots, while Brown grabbed 10 rebounds but turned the ball over seven times. Greene added seven rebounds and Rickey White grabbed six for UMaine.

The loss marked the first time the Black Bears have lost three games to start a season since the 1985-86 season, during which they fell to Michigan State, Boston College and LaSalle. The Bears lost six in a row to start that season and finished 7-20.

Statistically, the first half belonged to the Black Bears, who shot 57.1 percent from the field and outrebounded St. Peter’s 22-9. Despite those advantages, Maine held just a 40-34 lead at halftime.

One reason for that: The Bears committed 13 of their 20 turnovers before intermission. The Bears have struggled with turnovers in all three defeats, committing 19 in a first round tourney loss to Florida International on Friday night and 28 in a loss to Arkansas on Monday.

The Bears return to action in their home debut on Tuesday night against Delaware State. Tipoff at Alfond Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.

In the championship game, McEverett Powers and James Joseph each scored 17 points to lead Texas-San Antonio to a 71-65 victory Saturday over Florida International.

The Roadrunners (2-0) outscored the Golden Panthers by 20 at the free-throw line, making 26 of 35 attempts. Florida International made six of 12 attempts.

Florida International held a 61-58 advantage with four minutes to play after Taurance Johnson’s spinning layup. After a free throw by Texas-San Antonio’s Reggie Minnieweather, Golden Panther Chris Carter hit a jumper in the paint to give his team a 63-59 lead at the 2:43 mark.

But the Roadrunners scored the next 10 points to come away with the victory. Two free throws by Powers, then a Devin Brown jumper tied the game at 63 with 1:25 to play. The Roadrunners grabbed the lead for good on a three-point basket by Joseph, his fifth 3-pointer of the night on six attempts.

Florida International led 37-35 at halftime, making 16 of 28 shots (57.1 percent).

But the Golden Panthers cooled off in the second half, making only 12 of 29 shots (41.4 percent).

PEACOCKS 79, BLACK BEARS 70

Maine (0-3) St. Peter’s (1-1)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Brown 9 20 0 0 23 Robinson 4 16 1 1 9

White 0 2 1 2 1 McQueen 13 19 26

Rowe 8 9 0 3 16 Ali 5 6 3 13

Greene 7 13 1 1 16 Brown 2 3 8

Jackson 4 9 0 1 10 Devonish 3 8

Petkus 0 3 2 2 2 Hinnant 2 6 4

Flavin 0 0 0 0 0 Thompson 1 2

Tibbetts 0 1 0 0 0 Benjamin 0 0

Dubois 1 1 0 0 0 John 3 6 9

Campbell 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 29 58 4 9 70 Totals 33 68 11 19 79

Maine 40 70

St. Peter’s 34 79

3-pt. goals: Maine (8-24): Brown 5-13, Greene 1-3, Jackson 2-4, Petkus 0-3, Tibbetts 0-1; St. Peter’s (2-7): Robinson 0-1, Devonish 2-4, Hinnant 0-2