UMaine thrives in the Pit, wins 3rd Turner helps Bears beat up Harvard

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ORONO – Harvard University men’s basketball coach Frank Sullivan knows better than anyone why the University of Maine’s Memorial Gym is better known as “The Pit.”

Before his Crimson played Maine there last season, his team was 4-0 against the Black Bears.

After seeing the Bears torch Harvard from the perimeter Saturday afternoon en route to an impressive 79-66 victory – Maine’s second straight against the Crimson – he might want to call it “the pits.”

“I know the rims are a bit softer and a little bit lower,” Sullivan said with a chuckle. “Maine just torched us in both fronts [overall field goal and 3-point shooting percentage].”

The 3-2 Bears notched their third straight win after shooting a robust 50 percent from 3-point range and 48.2 percent overall from the field. They also managed to tire out Harvard’s talented frontcourt of 7-foot center Brian Cusworth and 6-8 forward Matt Stehle in the first half by ramping up the game’s tempo and rotating big men David Dubois, Mark Flavin, Olli Ahvenniemi, and Joe Campbell on them defensively.

“They muscled our guys. Dubois and Flavin maybe didn’t have huge numbers, but they did a good job disconcerting our starting four and five men,” said Sullivan. “They couldn’t find their spots on offense and had trouble on defense, and the running of the court really fatigued our big guys early.”

Stehle and Cusworth combined for eight points and five rebounds in the first half, but Maine managed only a 32-29 halftime lead. Ironically, Harvard’s big duo rallied for 19 points and 12 rebounds in the second half, but Maine put the game away with two big runs.

The biggest started after Maine coach Ted Woodward called timeout with 8:13 left. Kevin Reed found Chris Markwood open in the right corner for a 3-pointer to snap a 5-0 Harvard run and Campbell stole the ball 35 seconds later and finished up a fast break with a slam dunk that electrified the 1,886 fans on hand.

“That definitely was a big momentum play,” said junior guard Ernest Turner, who led Maine with a game-high 22 points and three steals. “You get a dunk off a turnover and the fans and players all get up.”

Campbell would have his only other two hoops of the game in the defining 13-2 run that put Maine up 70-50 and in control for good.

“We executed plays all afternoon and that was a huge key. They played together and found the hot hand when they were hot,” Woodward said.

Reed hit four of seven 3-point shots to pull ahead of sharpshooter Matt Rossignol as Maine’s all-time career 3-point shooter with 168 en route to 14 points and six rebounds.

“I’m glad I got it at home in the Pit, and I’m honored,” said the junior guard from Yarmouth, Mass. “We wanted to get this one in the Pit. This is where we practice every day and this is our true home court and there’s no way some team is going to come in here and take one away from us.”

Markwood had 11 points and six assists while Flavin added 10 points in 17 minutes off the bench. Maine’s Reed-Markwood-Turner backcourt trio shot 41.2 percent from the field and accounted for 47 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and six steals.

“I think this is the first game of the season where we really had an inability to guard people,” said Sullivan. “I’m sure the big three, whether it was Reed, Turner, or Markwood, had a rough go of it at Dartmouth. That was scary to me and it manifested itself in the game. We couldn’t cover them.”

Cusworth finished with 16 points, six boards, and three blocks. Stehle had 11 points, 11 boards, three steals, and two blocked shots. The 1-4 Crimson outrebounded Maine but just barely at 35-33 overall (12-8 offensively).

BLACK BEARS 79, CRIMSON 66

Harvard (1-4) Maine (3-2)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Stehle 2 7 7 8 11 Dubois 1 1 4

Norman 3 7 0 0 7 Campbell 3 6

Cusworth 6 14 4 4 16 Turner 6 16 12 22

Rogus 2 5 1 2 7 Reed 4 9 14

Giovacchini 4 7 2 2 11 Markwood 4 11

Goffredo 1 8 2 2 5 Bruff 1 1 3

Beal 1 4 0 2 2 Flavin 4 6 1 10

Klunick 1 2 0 0 3 Jackson 3 6 7

McCrone 0 0 0 0 0 Ahvenniemi 1 2

Beatty 2 3 0 0 4

Totals 22 57 16 20 66 Totals 27 56 15 19 79

Harvard 29 66

Maine 32 79

3-pt. goals – Harvard (6-18): Rogus 2-4, Klunick 1-1, Norman 1-2, Giovacchini 1-2, Goffredo 1-8, Cusworth 0-1; Maine (10-20): Reed 4-7, Markwood 2-4, Bruff 1-1, Flavin 1-2, Turner 1-2, Jackson 1-3, Campbell 0-1

Attendance: 1,886