UMass Lowell started fast, taking an 18-point lead at the end of the first half, and cruised to an 85-54 win over the University of Maine in the quarterfinals of the America East men’s basketball tournament on Saturday in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Gedi Juozapaitis scored 16 points for the Black Bears, who were playing in the conference tournament for the first time since 2020 and end the season with a 13-17 record overall, 7-10 in conference play.

Kellen Tynes, who was named the conference’s defensive player of the year on Friday, had 11 points. Tynes is the first UMaine men’s player in program history to win the conference’s defensive player of the year award and the first Black Bear to win a men’s basketball honor since Francois Bouchard was named rookie of the year in 1991.

Brayden O’Connor had 14 points for UMass Lowell (25-7, 12-5). Everette Hammond added 13 points, Ayinde Hikim had 12 and Abdoul Karim Coulibaly 10 for the River Hawks.

SOUTHERN MAINE CC 60, CENTRAL MAINE CC 59: Jack Pyzynski converted a layup after a missed free throw for the go-ahead basket with 20 seconds remaining, lifting the fourth-seeded SeaWolves (18-9) over the top-seeded Mustangs (17-6) in a Yankee Small College Conference semifinal in Auburn.

SMCC trailed for most of the second half until Pyzynski’s basket gave the SeaWolves a 60-59. Luke Gabloff added two free throws with 1 second left.

Pyzynski led SMCC with 16 points, and Thomas Martinotti added 13. The SeaWolves will play Great Bay Community College in the championship game on Sunday.

Wyatt Hathaway scored 19 points, Jaeden Henderson had 17 and Boston Caldwell finished with 11 for CMCC.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SOUTHERN MAINE CC 57, UM-AUGUSTA 49: Tara Flanders scored 12 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Seawolves (20-7) pulled away to beat the Moose (21-7) in a Yankee Small College Athletic Conference semifinal game in Auburn.

Maddy York added 14 points for SMCC, which advances to the finals to face Central Maine Community College.

Kaeti Butterfield scored 25 points for UMA.

CENTRAL MAINE CC 91, PAUL SMITH’S 39: Chantelle Ouellette and Clara Bandh each scored 14 points as the Mustangs (26-2) cruised past the Bobcats (14-12) in the Yankee Small College Conference semifinals in Auburn.

Central Maine Community College advances to the finals and will face Southern Maine Community College.

Abbey Bateman had 12 points and Jayla Gray 10 for Paul Smith’s.

MEN’S HOCKEY

BOWDOIN 3, COLBY 1: Patrick Callahan scored 7:29 into the third period to break a tie and Joe Alexander added an insurance goal as the seventh-ranked Polar Bears (14-9-3) beat the fifth-ranked Mules (13-11-2) in the New England Small College Athletic Conference semifinals in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Bowdoin advances to the NESCAC final and will face No. 8 Williams, a 1-0 winner over No. 3 Amherst, at 2 p.m. Sunday in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Colby took a 1-0 lead in the second period on a goal by Carter Breitenfeldt. Bowdoin tied it later in the period when Bobby Murray scored.

Alex Kozic stopped 33 saves for Bowdoin, while Andy Beran had 28 saves for Colby.

UMASS 4, MAINE 3: The Minutemen (13-6-5, 7-14-3 Hockey East) built a 3-0 lead and held off a comeback bid by the Black Bears (15-15-5, 9-11-4) to complete a weekend sweep in Orono.

Nolan Renwick, Ben Poisson and Lynden Breen scored for Maine.

The Black Bears are the No. 6 seed in the Hockey East playoffs and will host a first-round game Wednesday against No. 11 Vermont.

BASEBALL

WINTHROP 6, MAINE 2: The Eagles (7-4) scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to break open a tie game and beat the Black Bears (2-6) in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Myles Sargent had two hits and Quinn McDaniel homered for Maine.

SOFTBALL

MISSOURI 10, MAINE 0: Maddie Gallagher had three hits and drove in a pair of runs as the Tigers (14-5) beat the Black Bears (4-8) in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Grace McGouldrick had the lone hit for the Black Bears.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

WESLEYAN 15, BATES 3: Caroline Taggart, Lauren Wong and Allison Greuel scored as the Bobcats (1-2, 0-1 NESCAC) lost to the Cardinals (1-0, 1-0) in Middletown, Connecticut.

Olivia Lai had three goals and four players had two goals for Wesleyan.