BANGOR — It’s frustrating to watch an opposing basketball team grind you down by playing superior defense. It’s demoralizing to realize how much fun they’re having while you suffer.

Maine got its second firsthand look at Stony Brook this season, and Sunday’s outcome wasn’t much better than last month’s. The Black Bears shot only 34 percent from the field and lost 75-56 before an announced crowd of 1,285 at the Cross Insurance Center.

“I think they enjoy playing defense. I think they enjoy getting stops,” Maine point guard Aaron Calixte said. “When you have a team that enjoys playing defense it’s hard to get shots up and then get buckets.”

Calixte scored nine of his 11 points in the first half, when his Black Bears (8-19, 4-10 America East) were able to hang with Stony Brook for 16 minutes. The Seawolves went on a 12-5 run to take a 43-34 lead at the break. Maine scored only 22 points in the second half as Stony Brook (23-5, 14-1) clinched the regular-season title in America East.

The Black Bears’ two lowest point totals in conference play have come against the Seawolves, who earned a convincing 81-54 victory at home Jan. 25.

“I think championship-level teams understand what playing great defense does for you and how much that has to do with winning. They’re really invested in that because they know you can count on that every night,” Maine Coach Bob Walsh said.

“They don’t get enough credit for how good they are defensively. They make it really hard for you to score.” Stony Brook entered play leading America East by allowing opponents to shoot just 39.7 percent from the field. The Seawolves have won 12 consecutive games against the Black Bears.

Jameel Warney led Stony Brook with 20 points and nine rebounds. The 6-foot-8 senior center eclipsed 2,000 points in his career.

Maine had early success against him by denying entry passes and forcing nine turnovers while allowing no offensive rebounds in the opening 15 minutes of play. It was an effort the Black Bears couldn’t sustain.

“They play inside-out, so it’s hard to defend. You have to worry about Warney in the post but they also have shooters around, so you cannot give him your full attention,” said Maine freshman Ilija Stojilkovic, who finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. “He’s really aggressive; he’s big; it’s hard to box him out.”

Stony Brook started five upperclassmen, while Maine countered with just one, Shaun Lawton. Eventually, the Seawolves started handling the Black Bears’ trapping defense and finished with only 16 turnovers.

“I think they just got a little more comfortable with our pressure,” Calixte said. “We kept letting guys get out of traps. We would get a trap and then they would split the trap and get out of it and make a play out of that, which is what can’t happen.”

Maine’s offensive struggles were typified by freshman forward Issac Vann, who just 3 for 12 from the field and fouled out with six points. The team’s leading scorer entering play at 14.3 points per game never got into a rhythm. Till Gloger came off the bench to score 11 points, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the team’s second six-game losing streak of the season.

“I felt great about the offensive action for the first 25, 26, 27 minutes. Our action was good, we were getting downhill, we were getting where we wanted and then making bad plays,” Walsh said. “And then all of the sudden we couldn’t score midway through the second half.”

Maine closes conference play with games against the two teams immediately below them in the standings – at home against Hartford on Wednesday and at Binghamton on Saturday.