BOSTON – Late in the season, college basketball teams hope to get on a roll and post a few wins that will carry them into the postseason – and, they hope, earn them an NCAA tourney bid.

For the University of Maine men’s basketball team, that playoff run starts Saturday.

They’re going to have a busy week of practice.

The Black Bears finished up an 0-for-Boston weekend Sunday by limping out of Case Gym after losing 76-74 to Boston University in front of 1,101 fans. The Bears lost to Northeastern Friday night.

UMaine dropped to 17-10, 10-8 in America East. The Terriers improved to 14-13, 9-9. The two teams entered the game knowing they were already locked into an America East tournament quarterfinal showdown Saturday. The teams will play at 2:30 p.m., in Newark, Del.

“I just told the kids that it has probably been two years since we’ve had a week this good,” BU coach Dennis Wolff said, referring to victories over Holy Cross, New Hampshire and the Bears in a six-day span.

UMaine starter Huggy Dye was benched for the entire game after struggling Friday night. Sub Clayton Brown gobbled up many of the minutes en route to a career-high 14 points and nine rebounds.

However, Maine was also hurt because it received only 16 minutes and six points from low-post standout Carvell Ammons.

Ammons was whistled for two technical fouls – one in each half – and exited the game for good with 12:16 to play after his second technical, which also would have counted as his fifth personal.

In addition, UMaine coach John Giannini picked up a technical that helped squelch a sustained Black Bear rally that had whittled away at a 10-point lead and turned it into a three-point deficit with 2:02 to go.

BU’s Paul Seymour made both technical free throws – and the two free throws resulting from the foul that Giannini disputed – to turn a 68-65 BU lead into a 72-65 advantage.

“I said, ‘He stuck his arm out,”‘ said Giannini, who pointed out that in 12 years as a head coach, he had never been assessed a technical foul late in a close game.

“The technicals obviously hurt us,” Giannini said. “I think people watching the game could judge for themselves whether we did anything outrageous.”

The Black Bears got within three again when Tory Cavalieri nailed a 22-footer with 48 seconds to play, and UMaine stopped BU on the other end to set up a potential equalizer. Julian Dunkley’s contested 3-pointer from the top of the key caromed off the backboard and the Terriers hit two free throws with 2.6 seconds to go to push the margin back to five.

Derrick Jackson hit a half-court heave at the buzzer to account for the final margin.

BU was led by a 22-point effort from guard Matt Turner. Seymour and Jason Grochowalski added 14 apiece.

Maine got 16 points from Dunkley, 14 apiece from Jackson and Brown, and 10 each from Cavalieri and Errick Greene.

Dunkley said the Bears have to learn to control themselves, especially on the road.

“We played with a new lineup of guys that were ready to play and hungry and wanted to win,” Dunkley said. “And we played as a team today. I just think we have to be more composed as a team. Everybody.

“This is their senior day here and they’re gonna get some calls. We’ve just got to learn to stay composed.”

Giannini said benching Dye gave the Bears a chance to let other players get into the action. Brown (22 minutes) and Colin Haynes (29) were the main beneficiaries.

Dye struggled through a 1-for-12 shooting night Friday and scored only two points in 33 minutes.

“He hasn’t been having a great year, but I’ve supported him and we’ve kept playing and he’s continued to take as many or more shots than anyone else on our team,” Giannini said. “I just thought we needed to give someone else a chance. It’s as simple as that. It’s nothing against Huggy. We just wanted to give somebody else a chance and see how they played.”

Terriers 76, Black Bears 74

Maine (17-10) Boston University (14-13)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG F AF TP

Cavalieri 3 10 1 2 10 Fitzgerald 1 5

Dunkley 6 16 4 5 16 Seymour 3 12 7 14

Greene 3 7 4 6 10 Grochowalski 5 10 14

Haynes 1 4 1 2 4 Dhondt 4 5 0 9

Ammons 2 4 2 2 6 Rodriguez 2 3 6

Jackson 5 6 2 2 14 Graham 1 4 2 4

Brown 5 9 3 5 14 Michalek 0 0 0

White 0 1 0 0 0 Turner 7 14 3 22

Daccarett 0 0 2

Totals 25 57 17 24 74 Totals 23 50 21 30 76

Maine 32 74

Boston Univ. 35 76

3-pt. goals ? Maine (7-18): Cavalieri 3-6, Dunkley 0-4, Haynes 1-2, Jackson 2-3, Brown 1-2, White 0-1; BU (9-20): Fitzgerald 1-2, Seymour 1-4, Grochowalski 1-3, Dhondt 1-1, Turner 5-10

Attendance: 1,101