Bangor, ME - The Husson University men's basketball team held on in the final minutes to take a 78-75 victory over visiting Bates College in a wild game at Newman Gymnasium. The Eagles improve to 7-10 on the season in earning their first non-conference victory of the 2011-12 season. For the Bobcats, the loss halts a four game winning streak as they fall to 10-7 on the year.

Husson was led by 6'10" center Marc Zaharchuk (Richmond, ME) who came off the bench to earn a double-double, scoring 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds. A trio of Eagles guards finished the game well in support of Zaharchuk as Daeshawn McMorrin (Naugatuck, CT), Luis Medina (East Hartford, CT) and Mike Gonzales (Ft. Washington, MD) each scored 11 points on the night. As a team, Husson shot 42.6% from the floor, and made 16-21 shots from the free-throw line as they held on to the narrow margin down the stretch.

For the Bobcats, front-man John Squires (Swampscott, MA) played spectacular despite the loss, leading all scorers with 22 and completed the double-double with a game-high 19 boards. Ed Bogdanovich (Portland, ME) added 12 off the bench with seven rebounds, while point guard Luke Matarazzo (Shelton, CT) pitched in with 11 of his own. Bates narrowly outshot the Eagles, making 42.9% of their shots and held the advantage on the boards, pulling down 47 rebounds to Husson's 40. 

Husson held a nine point advantage (41-32) at the break as Zaharchuk led all scorers with 12 of his 20 in the first frame. The Eagles maintained that margin, holding a 9 point lead with four minutes remaining. The Bobcats chipped away at the lead as the clock ticked down and were looking at an eight point Husson lead when Bates took a timeout with 45 seconds to go.

Matarazzo hit a three on their posession, and after Zaharchuk missed his only free-throw of the game (8-9 on the night from the stripe) Mark Brust (Duxbury, MA) added a trifecta of his own. That cut the Eagle lead to just two at 77-75 with 22 seconds to play. Phil Leighton (Naples, ME) split a pair of free throws giving Bates three attempts to tie the game, but all attempts from behind the arc found the iron and Husson walked away with the W.

Eagles' Head Coach Warren Caruso was pleased with his team's performance as they earned a hardfought win against a tough opponent. "This was the best forty minutes we've played all year. Really have to give credit to the guys for keeping at it after losing a heart breaker at home last week. We got a tough win at Thomas and beat a very good Bates team tonight. We're pleased with our progress but we've still got a long way to go."

Husson returns to action on Saturday when they make the short trip to Castine, ME to take on Maine Maritime at 3:00 pm as the Eagles resume North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play. For Bates, they return to New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) competition on Saturday when they travel to Tufts for a 4:00 pm start.