CASTLETON, VT – The Husson University men's basketball team fell to top-seeded Castleton State College trailed by two with fewer than five minutes remaining in its North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Men's Basketball semifinal, but the host Spartans outscored the fourth seed Eagles 19-4 down the stretch to advance to the NAC Final.
A pair of C.J. Hodges (Chester, PA) free throws gave Husson a 77-75 lead with 4:43 left in the game, but Greg Hughes (West Rutland, VT) answered with a three-pointer to give the Spartans the lead for good. Eric Modica (Kittery, ME) made one-of-two from the free throw line to bring the Eagles within two points at 80-78, but Castleton answered with a 9-0 run to give the Spartans their biggest lead of the game at 89-78. Hughes had five points during the run, including another three and also added a nifty assist to a cutting Mark Comstock (Rutland, VT) to cap the surge.
Mike Gonzales (Fort Washington, MD) led the Eagles with 15 points off the bench, while Modica dumped in 14 and grabbed six boards. Phil Leighton (Naples, ME) chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds while Daeshawn McMorrin (Naugutuck, CT) added 11
Comstock, the NAC Player of the Year, led the charge with 25 points and a dozen rebounds, while Hughes added 14 points, five boards and four assists. Logan White (Hartford, VT) added 16 points , including a 4-for-7 performance from long range, while David Cochrane (Virginia Beach, VA) matched White from downtown for 12 points.
In a game that featured seven ties, it was Castleton which opened up the first substantial lead at 30-20 on a Cochrane trifecta with 9:55 left in the opening half. Husson chipped away at the lead, and took its first lead of the game at 41-38 on back-to-back three-pointers from Modica and Gonzales just inside of two minutes left before halftime. After drawing even at 42-42, the Eagles went on an 8-0 run that spanned intermission, to take a 50-42 advantage at the 18:41 mark of the second half. The lead ballooned as high as ten and the Eagles maintained the advantage until Castleton's late run.
Husson's season ends at 15-12, while the Spartans improve to 18-9 and will meet the winner of the second semifinal between Colby-Sawyer and UMF in tomorrow's 4:30 pm Final.
