Third time was not a charm for Erie.

The BayHawks lost their third consecutive game to Maine on Thursday night. Like the first time they played the Red Claws in their home opener last Saturday, the BayHawks were beaten by 20-plus points.

The puzzling thing about Thursday’s game was center John Bryant didn’t play. Now he came into this three-game stretch against the Red Claws averaging a double-double of 17.8 points and 14.5 rebounds.

He did struggle in his first two games against Maine, but John Treloar shouldn’t have benched him for the whole game Thursday. This isn’t college. It’s professional and if a guy is getting paid to play, you play him and have him gut it out even if the opponent presents him match up problems as Maine did.

Now Erie heads on the road Friday for Saturday’s game at Iowa, which like Maine has only one loss. The BayHawks lack chemistry right now, but if they can’t make free throws or protect the ball consistently, they’re going to continue to struggle.