Celtics Fall On Last-Second Shot

WILMINGTON, DE – The Maine Celtics, presented by Unum, led throughout the second half but ultimately fell victim to a game-winner from Mac McClung as they took a loss to the Delaware Blue Coats, 125-123. 

Luka Šamanić led Maine (7-2) with 35 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Marial Shayok totaled 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists on 4-6 shooting from deep. Two-Way player JD Davison added 14 points, three rebounds, eight assists and two blocks. Reggie Kissoonlal II tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks and Kendall Smith had 13 points and six rebounds.  

Two-Way player Julian Champagnie led the way for Delaware (4-5) with 35 points, nine rebounds and three blocks on 6-12 shooting from downtown. Two-Way player Saben Lee notched 22 points, six rebounds and five assists in his debut with the Blue Coats. Mac McClung finished with 18 points and 10 assists for the double-double. Patrick McCaw posted 12 points and five rebounds. 

Scottie Lindsey earned his first start of the season -- though it was short-lived -- adding a small-ball element to Maine’s starting five with Two-Way player Mfiondu Kabengele in Boston. It took over a minute for Šamanić to hit a turnaround hook and score the game’s first points, though the pace picked up as both Šamanić and Champagnie got hot in the opening frame. A quick nine points from Šamanić gave Maine a 17-12 lead, but a 10-2 run from Delaware put the Blue Coats in front. Smith finished at the rim to cut the deficit to two, 34-32, at the end of the first. 

Šamanić was dominating inside all night long, asserting himself as the biggest, strongest player on the court. His hard drives to the rim off the catch, interior finishing, offensive rebounding and rim protection powered Maine to a 35-point second quarter. Lindsey was ejected from the game mid-quarter after receiving a double technical foul, ending his first start of the season early. Smith contributed 11 first-half points off the bench, canning a three from the left wing that gave the Celtics a 67-60 lead that they held into the break. 

The Celtics stretched the lead beyond double-digits as the second half began with the help of a triple and a layup from Shayok. Champagnie picked it back up to get the Blue Coats back within six, 72-66, but an impactful quarter on both ends of the floor from Kissoonlal limited Delaware’s chances to build momentum as he recorded a three, dunk and block within minutes of each other. Maine’s lead hovered around the double-digit mark quarter as the two teams settled into a halfcourt battle to round out the third and they took a 100-87 advantage into the fourth. 

Shayok continued his strong second half as the final frame began, nailing a corner three and dishing to Šamanić out of the pick-and-roll to give Maine a 14-point lead with just over nine minutes left, but the Blue Coats weren’t going down without a fight. An 8-0 solo run by Champagnie brought Delaware back within striking distance and force a Celtics timeout, though Kamar Baldwin would quell the run immediately out of the huddle. Maine’s defense got a bit shaky late in the fourth as they allowed the Blue Coats to storm all the way back and take a brief lead before Shayok hit a clutch layup to get it back. Champagnie came through yet again for Delaware to give them a two-point lead that was erased by a deep three from Šamanić, but it was McClung who struck the final blow, sinking a 33-footer with 2.6 seconds remaining to topple the Celtics and give Delaware a 125-123 victory. 

The Maine Celtics will travel to Washington, D.C. to face the Capital City Go-Go tomorrow evening before heading south to face the Greensboro Swarm on Friday.