UMA men fall just short against EMCC
February 4, 2014
AUGUSTA, Maine – The University of Maine at Augusta men's basketball team has been hot lately, winning three out of the last four conference games and on Wednesday night, they fell just four points short, falling to Eastern Maine Community College 83-79 in Yankee Small College Conference action.
This Moose team looked nothing like the one that faced the Eagles last semester, battling point for point in a game that included six ties and two lead changes. EMCC jumped out to the early 15-7 lead, highlighted by back to back triples from Brett Deniger (Gouldsboro, Maine), but head coach Jim Ford's team answered with a 10-2 run, including six points from Brandon Rogers (Turlock, Calif.), to tie the game at 9:47 remaining in the first. EMCC closed out the half with the 37-30 lead.
In the second half, the Eagles had the hot hand, leading by as many as 23 with 5:53 remaining in regulation. But UMA answered with an astounding 22-3 run in regulation to bring the game down to the closing possession. Sophomore Keith Chesley (Clinton, Maine) scored eight of his 12 points on the night in the closing minutes, including the only three pointer of the night for the Moose.
Three-point shooting was a struggle for UMA all night long, as they finished 4.8 percent from behind the arc, compared to 39.3 percent for the Eagles. UMA matched EMCC in virtually every other category and out-rebounded them 47-32.
Rogers led the Moose with a game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Tevon Erwin (Albany, NY) scored 17 points and netted 12 boards. Caleb McGuire (Whitefield, Maine) was also in double-digits for UMA with ten points that included second dunk of his freshman season.
The Moose return to action on Saturday when they travel to Unity in YSCC play.