CASTINE, Maine – Husson University men's basketball defeated Maine Maritime Academy by a score of  85-79, in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play, inside of Smith Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Husson (7-3, 5-0) wins its fifth-straight league game, while Maine Maritime (3-8, 2-3) drops their last 52 of 54 matchups to the Eagles and falls to 16-54 in the series.

The two teams battled back-and-forth to start the game. The Eagles sank a three with 5:16 remaining in the first quarter to take a 30-28 lead. Husson closed out the final five minutes outscoring the Mariners 15-1 to take a 45-29 lead into the halftime.

Dylan Stevens nailed a pair of free throws with 15 minutes remaining in the game, sparking a seven-point run for the Mariners, cutting the deficit to 12. Tyler Thayer  hit back-to-back free throws and Nick Judge hit a jump shot to bring the Mariners within four with a minute remaining.

Justin Martin answered for the Eagles with a jump shot of his own, but Brendan Newcomb splashed a three with 22 seconds to go, making it a three-point game. The Eagles were sharp from the line, making all six of their free throws in the final seconds of the game, to take the 85-79 victory.

Thayer led the Mariners with 23 points, six rebounds and three assists, Dylan Price added 15 points four rebounds, two assists and a steal and Stevens tallied 14 points, five assists and four rebounds. Judge ended the afternoon with 11 points off the bench, and Newcomb contributed 10 points, and a game-high seven assists.

Raheem Anderson led the Eagles with 18 points, Trevon Butler added a double-double of 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, Jordon Holmes pitched in with 13 points off the bench and Zach Curran rounded out the Husson players in double digits with 12 points.

Maine Maritime will return to action on Tuesday, January 12 when they travel to take on Maine-Farmington at 7:30 pm in a NAC matchup, while Husson will also return to the court on Tuesday, January 12 when they travel to Waterville to take on Thomas at 7:30 p.m. in a NAC matchup.