NEWTON, Mass. – The Husson University men's basketball team dropped its first contest of the season on Tuesday evening, as the team fell 82-72 to Lasell University in road, non-conference action.
Husson (7-1) got off to a rocky start during the first two minutes of action, as they surrendered the first seven points of the game to Lasell (6-3) and found themselves in an early hole. Thankfully for the Eagles, a 15-7 scoring output from seniors Jeremy Moronta and Scott Lewis and freshman Andre McCauley dug them out of their early deficit and gave them a 15-14 lead with just under 13 minutes remaining in the half. The remainder of the opening 20 minutes was a seesaw affair that saw the Lasers take control late and hold a 39-34 edge going into the locker room.
Lewis tallied eight first half points to lead the Eagle offense, while Moronta recorded seven points of his own and junior Riles Neff finished a busy first half with six points, four rebounds and five assists. McCauley was the only other Eagles player to record more than one made field goal in the first half, as he poured in five.
Turnovers and second chance points were the key to the first half deficit for Husson, as they committed nine first half turnovers and allowed Lasell to score 11 second chance points on their nine first half offensive rebounds. The Eagles, who entered action on Tuesday as the leader for all of NCAA Division III in team rebounds per game, lost the rebounding battle for the first time this season, as the Lasers posted a 22-21 advantage on the glass in the opening frame.
The contest remained tight for the majority of the second half, but with the score at 69-69 with just over four minutes remaining, Lasell used a 13-3 scoring run to pick up the home, non-conference win over the Eagles.
Neff did his best to keep Husson afloat, tallying 18 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, while Moronta also finished in double-figures with 14 points, in addition to recording four steals. Lewis was the only other Eagle to finish in double-digits, finishing with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Husson will look to bounce-back on Thursday, as Maine Maritime Academy makes the trip to Newman Gymnasium for a North Atlantic Conference contest. Tip-off for the Eagles' NAC home-opener is set for 5:30 p.m.
