Poultney, VT – After a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Castleton State last night, Husson had to endure more of the same when the Green Mountain College men's basketball team proved to be the better Eagles this afternoon. After trading baskets down the stretch, Jack Hepburn hit three clutch free throws after being fouled on a corner three to seal the game for Green Mountain, 95-91. The loss sends Husson to 1-6 on the year and 1-2 in NAC action. The win improves Green Mountains record to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in NAC play.  

The visiting Eagles entered Saturday's action knowing they had the mismatch in the front court with junior Marc Zaharchuk, the 6'10 center for Husson.  The visiting squad immediately tried to take advantage of the mismatch, but was only mildly successful as Green Mountain countered the height disadvantage by fronting, double teaming and sending a variety of defenders against Zaharchuk.  The strategy seemed to work as Husson had a difficult time feeding the ball into the post as much as it wanted.

The home side countered the visitors with a fast-paced, opportunistic attack.  The GMC Eagles moved the ball inside and out, getting some easy layups and some open looks from downtown which they buried on most occasions.  In fact, the team managed to shoot the trifecta at a 53.8% clip in the first half, hitting 7-of-13 shots from beyond the arc.

The fast-paced attack also resulted in numerous fast-break buckets and consequent fouls.  In contrast to the previous night's game, GMC shot the ball much better from the line.  Their 63.2% shooting from the line allowed them to take a 55-50 lead into halftime.

Leading the home side into the break was freshman forward Carnelius Green who scored 17 points on 5-of-10 from the field and 7-of-11 from the charity stripe.  Freshman forward Robert Holloway added 14 points of his own to go along with a share of the lead in rebounds with six.  After scoring 18 points the previous night, freshman forward Jeremiah Aponte continued his solid play with seven points and six rebounds in the first half.

Zaharchuk was the leading scorer at half for Husson, scoring 15 points while grabbing six rebounds.  Junior guard Mike Gonzales also scored in double digits in the first half, recording 12 points to go with his five rebounds.

The second half started out with Husson pressing the ball more aggressively which resulted in a few early turnovers.  The halftime lead was whittled away in the first few minutes of the half and the teams engaged in a back-and-forth battle for the remainder of the game. GMC was able to carry a five point cushion up until the last three minutes of the game, but Husson battled back and the crowd was witness to many lead changes down the stretch.  With GMC ahead 91-88, Husson missed a contested lay in, but recovered the offensive rebound and subsequently hit an open three to tie the game with just over a minute remaining.

GMC then crisply moved the ball around the top of the key on their next possession and freshman guard Jack Hepburn attempted a three from the right corner.  A Husson defender quickly closed out to contest the shot, but got a piece of Hepburn in the process, sending him the to line for three freebies.  Hepburn didn't miss, as he hit all three shots from the line to give GMC a 94-91 lead with less than thirty seconds left to play.  On the ensuing inbound play by Husson, the ball slipped right through the hands of one of their players, resulting in a turnover.  On the inbound play, Freshman Jakerion Ales was fouled and hit the second of two free throws to close out the game and an impressive win for Green Mountain.

Green Mountain and Husson both had four players score in double digits in the game.  Green led all scorers with a career-high 34 points.  Holloway and Aponte notched double-doubles in this game, Holloway with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Aponte with a 14 point and 12 board performance.

Hepburn closed out the double-digit scorers with 15 points.  Zaharchuk was a force in the paint for Husson scoring 27 points and hauling in a game-high 14 boards.  Brooks Spaulding also recorded a double-double, notching 11 points and 11 rebounds.  Gonzales, in just his second game of the season, dropped 24, while Phil Leighton rounded out the double-digit scoring for Husson 11 points.

Husson will be in action again on December 28th as they travel to New Orleans to take on Eastern University as a part of the Big Easy Challenge. Game time will be at 3:00 pm. After a lengthy time away from the court for the holiday break, the GMC Eagles will return to action on January 10th for an NAC tilt at Johnson State College.  Tip-off time for that game will be at 5:30 pm.