CANTON, Ohio — Despite shooting 53.1 percent from the floor, including 11 3-point field goals, the Maine Red Claws (9-13) were defeated by the Canton Charge (14-8) in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee at the Canton Memorial Civic Center, 99-94.

The Red Claws jumped out to an eight-point lead in the first quarter behind the hot shooting of Chris Wright and Chris Babb, who combined for 18 of Maine’s 30 first-quarter points as the Claws held a six-point advantage heading into the second quarter. Maine shot 61.1 percent (11-18) in the first frame, including 45.5 percent (5-11) from beyond the 3-point line, while holding the Charge to just 9-25 (.360) from the field.

The hot shooting continued for Maine in the second quarter, as the Red Claws connected on 8-11 field goals, including 3-5 from downtown. The Charge kept the game close, however, as Canton scored nine points off of 11 Red Claws turnovers in the period to trail 50-46 heading into halftime.

Maine and Canton came out of the locker rooms and continued displaying strong shooting in the third quarter, with both teams shooting over 52 percent from the field in the frame, but Canton out-scored Maine 31-23 in the period, scoring 18 points in the paint to hold a 77-73 lead going into the final 12 minutes of play.

The fourth quarter was hotly contested. After building up an eight-point lead with just under four minutes to play, the Charge allowed the Red Claws to hang around. Trailing by three points with 12.8 seconds remaining, Babb stole Canton’s inbound pass to give the Red Claws one last attempt to tie the ball game. After a timeout, a 25-foot Babb 3-point attempt fell short, and the Charge escaped with the victory.

Wright and Babb each scored 20 points for the Red Claws. Babb also chipped in with eight rebounds and seven assists, flirting with a triple-double. Frank Gaines (11 points) and Abdul Gaddy (12 points) each finished in double figures in the back court for Maine. Newcomer Sherwood Brown scored in double figures off the bench in the second consecutive game for the Red Claws, netting 13 points while also grabbing six rebounds.

Shane Edwards led the way for Canton, finishing with a game-high 28 points for the Charge. Kevin Jones (12 points) and Jorge Guiterrez (11 points) also finished in double figures for Canton.

The Red Claws will travel to Iowa on Thursday for their third matchup of the year against the Energy. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.