BANGOR, ME – The University of Maine at Augusta men's basketball team lost a heartbreaker on Friday evening, falling to Eastern Maine Community College by a final score of 105-104. Brandon Rogers led the Moose, scoring 27 points on the night, including his 1,000th career point. Rogers also added 16 rebounds and nine assists on the evening.
In the first half, Eastern Maine Community College got out to an early lead, going up 10 points on the Moose just five minutes into the game. The Golden Eagles stretched that lead to 19 with just five minutes to play in the half, but UMA would rally back using a 10-0 run over a two minute stretch. After scoring the final four points of the half, the Moose cut the lead to 57-51 going into the locker room. Keith Chesley scored 21 first half points, while Rogers added 14 points and nine rebounds in the half.
In the second half, the Moose would rally back and take the lead for the first time since early in the first half after Rogers made a three with seven minutes to play. The teams would trade scores for the next six minutes, however the Moose had the lead entering the final minute of play. Chesley made three clutch four clutch free-throws down the stretch, giving the Moose a two point lead with two seconds to play before EMCC's Brett Deniger hit his second three pointer in a row to give the Golden Eagles the win with no time left on the clock.
In the game, Chesley finished with a team-high 34 points, including going 12-13 from the free throw line. Taylor Wilbur chipped in 24 points and seven assists in the game. Garrett Alley added eight points, Caleb Mcguire added five points and Taylor Mannix and Richard Brown each contributed multiple points and multiple rebounds off the bench.
For EMCC, Brett Deniger led all scorers with 39 points, and Jeremy Santiago contributed 24 points and 14 rebounds.
The University of Maine at Augusta will be back in action on Sunday, February 8, when they take on Vermont Technical College at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.