PORTLAND, Maine (Interstat) — The Maine Celtics used a dominant second quarter to overcome a slow start and hand the visiting Salt Lake City Stars just their fourth loss of the season, 102-94, in a G League matchup Thursday night at the Portland Exposition Building.

The game turned decisively in a high-scoring second period. After a tightly contested first quarter ended tied at 21, the Celtics erupted for 40 points in the second frame, outscoring the Stars by 16 to take a commanding 61-45 lead into halftime. Maine’s offense was fueled by efficient shooting and ball movement, hitting five of its 11 three-pointers for the game during the quarter. Jalen Bridges was instrumental in the run, scoring 11 of his 23 points in the period, including a stretch of three consecutive three-pointers that stretched the lead.

Salt Lake City, which entered the game with a league-best record of 17-3, struggled to find its rhythm from deep all night, shooting a frigid 6 for 30 from three-point range. Despite the deficit, the Stars chipped away in the second half, using a 28-point fourth quarter to close the gap. A 9-0 run capped by a Max Klesmit three-pointer cut Maine’s lead to 92-90 with just over three minutes remaining.

The most critical sequence of the game followed immediately. On the ensuing possession, Maine’s Max Shulga drove for a layup to push the lead back to four. After a Sean East layup for Salt Lake City, the Celtics executed a decisive alley-oop from Hayden Gray to Kendall Brown for a dunk, making it 96-92 with 1:49 to play. Following a Stars timeout, Brown struck again with another alley-oop dunk from Gray, extending the lead to six and effectively sealing the victory. Maine closed the game by making six consecutive free throws in the final 25 seconds to secure the win.

Maine was led by a standout performance from center Amari Williams, who posted 19 points and 11 rebounds. His interior presence was felt defensively with two blocks and three steals. Bridges led all scorers with 23 points, while Gray added 13 points and a game-high six assists. Shulga, from Kyiv, Ukraine, orchestrated the offense with nine points and nine assists.

For Salt Lake City, Max Abmas scored 21 points and Sean East added 18, but the Stars’ typically potent offense was held below 100 points for one of the few times this season. Cameron McGriff recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Steven Crowl contributed eight points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Statistically, the game was remarkably even in many categories. Both teams had 18 turnovers and nearly identical field goal attempts. The difference came from beyond the arc, where Maine made 11 threes to Salt Lake City’s six, and at the foul line, where the Celtics were a perfect 10 for 10. Maine also held a slight edge in rebounding, 44-40, and blocks, 7-2.

The victory improved Maine’s record to 13-9, while Salt Lake City fell to 17-4. The two teams are scheduled for a quick rematch at the same venue Friday night.