PORTLAND — It might be cold and flu season throughout Southern Maine, but what was really contagious Tuesday at the Expo was the three point shooting displayed by the Maine Red Claws.

Claws snipers pocketed 14 threes in 21 tries to take away a hefty 114-103 triumph over the Springfield Armor, before the usual sellout crowd of 3,045 at the Portland Expo.

Jamar Smith led the way with seven treys and was well on his way to shattering the D-League record of 10 ”“ held by former Red Claw Billy Thomas before he was knocked out of the game in the third quarter

by a minor leg bruise.

“My teammates passed up shots to get me a shot,” said Smith, who finished with a team high 20 points. “Sometimes that makes your shot easier, knowing that somebody who passed up a shot has confidence in you. I just tried to knock down all my shots.”

Smith was a near-perfect 6-for-7 from long range in the first half, as he netted all of his points before the break.

He was complimented by five quick points from reserve guard Kenny Hayes, who helped turn Springfield’s 40-39 lead into a 49-40 Claws’ bulge.

Maine shot 9-for-14 from beyond the arc in the first half, with Matt Janning hitting one at the buzzer.

“We shot the lights out,” said Maine coach Austin Ainge. “We had effort

and energy. And we were pushing the ball.”

At the same time, they were pushing the Armor, now winless in eight trips to the Expo over two seasons, out of the paint, and out of the Expo.

“Threes are better than dunks,” said Springfield coach Dee Brown, who drained many a long ball during his stellar career as a Boston Celtic. “Because you get an extra point. Larry Bird told me that they put that line out there for a reason. It’s not just a decoration. You get an extra point for shooting behind that line. If you can knock down your shots, it stretches the defense.”

Maine stretched its 60-47 halftime advantage to 88-72 by the end of the third quarter.

Springfield attempted to chip away at the Red Claw lead, but the best they managed to do was get it down to eight points, 72-64, on Gavin Edwards’ lay up midway through the third quarter.

Maine answered with more long range fireworks, closing out the quarter with a 12-5 skein fueled entirely by three pointers, with Janning hitting the last two.

“On our team, it’s hard to define roles,” said Ainge, “because we have eight or 10 players who are about the same. We don’t have anybody who’s way better than the next guy, so we have to share the ball and move. That means that anybody can step up, and we’re hard to guard against.”

Springfield did make matters interesting in the fourth quarter, when they took off on a 12-0 run, fueled by eight of the game high 26 points netted by Armor guard Jerry Smith, and drew to within 99-94.

But that was as close as it got.

“We’ve got a lot of people on our team who can make big shots,” said Jamar Smith. “When you’ve got good players around you, that makes it easier. It makes it a lot more fun.”

FLAGRANT FOULS: Smith bowed out in the third quarter after getting kneed in the calf. “It tightened up on me,” said Smith, “and wouldn’t get loose for me. I didn’t want to tear (anything).” Ainge had his own explanation for Smith’s early exit. “Jamar shot so well in the first half that he decided not to play in the second half.

— Contact Dan Hickling at 282-1535, ext. 317.