STANDISH, Maine - The Husson University men's basketball team completed their 2021 campaign on Sunday afternoon with a victory over the St. Joseph's College (Maine) Monks. 

IN THE ACTION:

Brett Cunningham started the scoring for the Eagles, knocking down a three pointer. The Monks added a jumper to get on the board, before Isaac Varney scored a shot from downtown to push Husson ahead early, 6-2. Back-to-back three pointers from Jack Casale gave the home team a two point advantage, the first of seven lead changes in the first half. Scott Lewis tied the game at eight with a tally from inside the paint, before breaking the stalemate two minutes later scoring from behind the arc. A trio of scores from Griffin Foley would put  the Monks ahead, but J Thomas immediately answered for the Eagles to tie the game with just over nine minutes to play in the first half. Thomas added another three-pointer with four minutes remaining to overtake the lead from the Monks, and DJ Bussey sealed the first half lead for the Eagles as they headed into the break leading St. Joe's, 42-35. 

Opening the second half, Lewis tipped in his own offensive rebound followed by a score from Isaac Varney to give the Eagles an eight point lead. Two scores from the charity stripe for Justin Thompson pushed the Green and Gold ahead by 11, their largest lead of the afternoon. Back-to-back three pointers from Ian Jennings and Foley put the home team back on top, 73-71, but the Eagles would not let them hold the lead for long as a steal by Lewis led to Thomas' fifth score from downtown to regain the advantage. Jennings answered, posting a three-point shot to put the home team ahead once more. Lewis continued his dominance on the defensive end of the court, preserving the deadlock with a blocked shot for the Eagles. With just over a minute remaining to play, Justice Kendall found an open Lewis who was able to knock down the jumper as the Eagles walked away with the victory, 81-78.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Thomas led the Eagles in scoring, contributing 23 points, five rebounds and a steal while going 5-for-8 from behind the arcl in the victory.

• Casale scored a game-high 27 points, chipping in five assists and thirteen rebounds for the Monks.

• Lewis ended the afternoon just shy of a double-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. 

UP NEXT!
This concludes the Husson University men's basketball team's abbreviated season, as the Eagles finish a perfect 10-0.