The University of Maine men’s basketball team turned in a solid first-half performance in a mutual season-opener against the Providence College Friars in Providence on Monday night, trailing by just eight.
But the Friars, picked fifth among 11 teams in the Big East preseason poll, kicked it into gear in the second half, scoring the first 13 points of the half to pull away for a comfortable 83-56 triumph in front of 11,685 people at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
The Friars put five players in double figures and forced 23 Black Bear turnovers.
Providence had a 29-6 edge in points off turnovers and a 42-10 advantage in points in the paint.
“Credit to Maine. I thought they played really hard and had us in a tough spot in the first half,” first-year Providence head coach Bryan Hodgson said on the Friars’ athletic website. “I think we answered the bell in the second half and played a lot better with the intensity we’re looking for on both sides of the basketball.”
Redshirt junior forward and University of Nevada Las Vegas transfer Jacob Bannarabie led the Friars with 14 points and 10 rebounds, his second career double-double. Junior guard Ryan Mela had 13 points, six rebounds and two assists and freshman forward Javon Bardwell and Georgetown transfer Malik Mack each had 12 points.
Bardwell had three rebounds and Mack had five, along with two assists and two steals.
Graduate student guard and San Diego State transfer Miles Byrd had 10 points and tied his career high for assists with seven. He also had five rebounds and three assists. University of South Florida transfer Gavin Hightower had five points and a game-high seven assists, along with five steals and three rebounds.
Freshman guard Hudson Franz led UMaine and netted a team-high 13 points to go with three rebounds. Junior forward and Ohio University transfer Ayden Evans had 10 points and a game-high three blocked shots. Graduate student forward Killian Gribben, who missed all but one game last year with a season-ending lower body injury, produced 10 points and a team-high four rebounds for the Black Bears.
Ace Flagg and Drexel transfer Villiam Garcia Adsten each had seven points.
UMaine will head to Fairfield, Connecticut, to take on Sacred Heart at 7 p.m. Thursday as part of the America East-Metro Basketball Challenge.
Providence will play Nebraska at 7 p.m. Saturday in Uncasville, Connecticut.