Henniker, NH – In the wake of a thrilling overtime victory last night, the Eagle kept it going on Saturday afternoon, defeating New England College on their home court by a final score of 75-64. With the win, the Eagles improve to a 12-10 record on the year and 12-3 in the conference. The loss drops the Pilgrims record to 17-6 overall and 10-6 in the NAC.
Four of the Husson starters finished in double figures when the dust settled, led by Kelli Murray (Shawmut, ME) who capped off an impressive roadtrip with an 18 point, eight rebound performance. Marissa Albert (Fort Kent, ME) was good on 5-6 three pointers on the day, finishing with 16 of her own, while seniors Amanda Gifford (Lee, ME) and Brianna Hanscom (Mattawamkeag, ME) chipped in with 15 and 11 respectively.
NEC was led by game high scorer Rachel Williams (Chapel Hill, NC) who had 28 points and eight rebounds. Lawlor added 12 points and four assists, while Danika Johnson (Port Angeles, WA) went 5-6 from the charity stripe.
The first half began very even with both teams trading baskets, and neither team was able to gain an edge on the other with the biggest lead being just three points in the first five minutes. As the tempo shifted, so did the scoring by the Eagles, who jumped out to an eight point lead after the first 10 minutes of the half. Husson maintained the edge until with 58 seconds left in the period Taylor Burgess (Randallstown, MD) put the Pilgrims up by one on a free throw. NEC took the 29-28 lead into halftime.
Five minutes into the second period was much the same, with the Eagles jumping out to a six point lead at 39-33. Once again, NEC pulled back into it and took the lead with 11:50 to play on a Kayla Lawlor (Cocoa Beach, FL) three point shot. The shot gave the Pilgrims a 42-41 lead. Husson jumped out to its biggest lead of the game four minutes later, going up 12 on two free throws by Amanda Gifford (Lee, ME). The Eagles led by as many as 15 in the final stretch of the game to seal the victory.
Husson will play on the road at Maine-Farmington on Tuesday for a 5:30 pm game while the Pilgrims return to action for their final road game of the season on Thursday, February 16 at Castleton College for a 5:30 pm matchup.
