LYNDONVILLE, Vt. – The Husson University men's basketball team earned its second win in as many days on Saturday afternoon as it defeated Vermont State University Lyndon 95-63 in North Atlantic Conference action at Bole Gymnasium.
Lyndon (0-9, 0-2 NAC) was able to hang around with Husson (7-0, 2-0 NAC) for the first 11-plus minutes as the Eagles were only able to gain as much as a five-point edge during the beginning stretch of the game. Husson was able to put together a 19-8 run over the final eight minutes of the opening half, thanks in part to sophomore Eric Ahlers, who recorded eight-straight points during the run, as the Eagles carried a 41-28 advantage into the halftime break.
Ahlers led the offensive charge for the Eagles in the opening half, tallying 11 points, while freshman Andre McCauley posted 10.
Husson shot 40.5% through the opening frame, in addition to connecting on 5-16 three-pointers and forcing the Hornets into six first-half turnovers.
The Eagles continued their late first-half momentum into the start of the second half as they opened the first seven minutes of play on a 22-12 spurt to open-up a 23-point edge and effectively put the game out of reach. Sophomore Ty Henke and senior Scott Lewis led the scoring outburst for Husson as they combined to score 13 of the 22 points during the stretch and help the Eagles increase their lead. Husson continued to increase its lead throughout the remainder of the game and come away with its second NAC win of the year.
McCauley paced the Eagle offense on the afternoon, as he posted a new career high with 16 points on an efficient 7-12 shooting, including 2-2 from beyond the arc. Lewis put up his second double-double of the season, tallying 15 points and 11 rebounds, in addition to swatting away five Hornet shots.
Senior Jeremy Moronta continued to stuff the stat sheet, posting 10 points, six rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and two blocks to cap off a busy afternoon, while Ahlers also finished in double-digits, as he tallied 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Eagles shot over 46% from the floor for the game and trailed for just 25 seconds throughout the contest. Husson capitalized on the 22 turnovers it forced Lyndon into, as it scored 23 points off of those takeaways, in addition to recording 56 points in the paint and 26 second chance points in the victory.
The men's basketball team will be back on the road on Tuesday as it will return to non-conference action when it travels to Newton, Mass. to take on Lasell University at 6 p.m.
