The USM men’s basketball team traveled to Biddeford on Nov. 17 to take on a UNE Nor’easters squad that features players from all over the country. Unlike last year’s season opener, the Huskies were upended by UNE in a shooting duel 82-70.
UNE’s performance was backed by four Nor’easters who were in double-figures and a team effort that featured 45.3 percent (25 for 64) shooting from the field to edge USM.
The Huskies managed to keep the score close as they trailed 43-34 after the first half of play. USM is burdened with limited selection right now as they are without several of their key players that benefited last year’s team.
“Losing Sean Bergeron to a knee injury and Michael Poulin to a broken arm has hurt us,” said USM head coach Karl Henrikson. “Our guys are responding well though. A few bounces our way and we’re on the other end of that game.”
UNE was led by junior guard Kadare Brown (Baton Rouge, LA) who scored a team-high 21 points, shooting 5 for 9 from the field, 3 for 7 from 3-point range, and draining 8 out of 9 free throws. Other notable Nor’easter performances included sophomore center Anthony Johnson (Austin, TX) who chipped in 17 points, senior guard Marchale Robinson (Baton Rouge, LA) who tossed in 14 points, and sophomore forward Qeuntin Thompson (Austin, TX) who added 10 points and grabbed a game-high 14 boards.
USM received a tremendous effort from a newcomer, junior guard Cortez Isaac (Washington, DC) who led all scorers in the game with 30 points from 10 for 17 shooting from the field. Isaac’s smooth, quick twitch style of play gave UNE trouble.
USM made a comeback and took the lead briefly on a 3-pointer from Isaac, making the score 55-53 with 10:04 left to play, but UNE was too much for the Huskies as they went on a 9-0 run. Isaac also finished the game with five assists and nine rebounds.
“Cortez is a tremendous talent who shows a real demeanor on the court. He has a multitude of ability that I think will benefit our team greatly this season,” said Henrikson.
Junior guards John Sewell (Bath) and Otis Smith (Altomonte Springs, FL) provided 17 and 10-point efforts for the Huskies.
The extremely quick UNE team beat USM to some balls that could’ve changed the outcome of the game. A few more bounces towards the Huskies, and a few less turnovers would have provided them with opportunities to sink the Nor’easters like they did in last year’s home opener.
“I was pleased with our effort tonight,” said Henrikson. “It’s always nice to get the win, but effort is key.”
USM was back in action last Saturday, Nov. 20, as they competed in the Wesleyan University Tip-Off Tournament in Middletown, CT. In a first round game, the Huskies dropped their second game in a row to Becker 74-67. USM bounced back in the next game as they earned a double overtime, 99-92 win over Johnson State in which Isaac netted a season high 41 points.
The Huskies are looking to spread the floor, to create more open post space that give players a little more freedom to slash and cut said Henrikson. These aspects could serve as catalysts as the men’s team heads into an important week where they play Bowdoin College on Tuesday, and conference foe Western Connecticut on Saturday.