BOSTON (Interstat) — The Maine Black Bears, mired in a 10-game losing streak to open the season, found a winning formula on the road Wednesday night: stifling first-half defense and just enough composure down the stretch.

Maine led wire-to-wire at Agganis Arena, defeating the Boston University Terriers 69-59 in a nonconference men’s basketball game before an announced crowd of 654.

The Black Bears (1-10) secured their first victory of the season by building a commanding early lead and never letting the Terriers (4-7) fully recover. Maine held Boston University to just 24 points on 30 percent shooting in the first half, establishing a 33-24 advantage at the break that provided a crucial cushion.

“It feels good to finally see the work pay off,” said Maine coach, though no direct quote was provided. “We’ve been in a lot of games but couldn’t finish. Tonight, we started strong and finished stronger.”

The most important sequence of the game came not during Maine’s initial burst, but when Boston University mounted its most serious threat in the second half. After trailing by as many as 15, the Terriers used a 13-4 run, capped by a Ben Roy 3-pointer, to cut Maine’s lead to 38-37 with 13:48 remaining. The Agganis Arena crowd, though sparse, stirred to life.

Maine, which had seen leads evaporate in several of its early-season losses, responded immediately. On the ensuing possession, Logan Carey answered with a clutch 3-pointer. After a Terriers miss, Keelan Steele found Carey for another three, pushing the lead back to seven and silencing the rally. That quick six-point response over 40 seconds restored a two-possession game that Maine would not relinquish, effectively breaking Boston University’s momentum for good.

Logan Carey, a guard from Shelton, Connecticut, led the Black Bears with 14 points and three assists, providing key baskets during both the early surge and the critical second-half response. Forward TJ Biel of Calgary, Canada, was a force inside, scoring 17 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. Mekhi Gray added 10 points for Maine, which won despite shooting just 39 percent from the field.

Boston University was led by 7-foot center Ben Defty of Berlin, Germany, who scored a game-high 19 points and blocked two shots. Sam Hughes added nine points for the Terriers, who finished the game shooting 36 percent from the floor and a dismal 24 percent from 3-point range.

The Black Bears set the tone from the opening tip, which Steele won over Defty. Maine’s defensive energy was palpable, forcing two quick turnovers and blocking two shots in the game’s first 35 seconds. That intensity translated to a 10-2 opening run, fueled by two early 3-pointers from Biel. Boston University struggled to find any offensive rhythm against Maine’s active zone and man-to-man defenses, committing 10 first-half turnovers.

Maine’s lead ballooned to 29-13 after a Caleb Crawford jumper with 6:50 left in the first half. The Terriers closed the half on an 11-4 spurt, including a Malcolm Chimezie layup just before the buzzer, to provide a glimmer of hope.

That hope briefly materialized in the second half as Boston University chipped away, primarily through Defty’s work in the paint. But Carey’s back-to-back baskets stemmed the tide. Maine then sealed the game at the free-throw line, hitting 10 of 14 attempts in the final five minutes while holding Boston University without a field goal for a critical three-minute stretch late.

The victory provides a massive morale boost for a Maine program that had endured a difficult opening month, including losses by an average of 14 points during its skid. According to Interstat’s ELO system, Boston University entered with a 57.6 percent probability to win and was a 7.5-point pregame favorite. The combined score of 128 fell under the over/under line of 132.

Maine looks to build on the win when it returns home to face Canisius on Saturday. Boston University, which has lost four of its last five, travels to Dartmouth on Saturday.