WATERVILLE, Maine – The Husson University men's basketball team fell in the final minute to Colby College 82-81 on Tuesday evening in road, non-conference action inside the Margaret M. Crook Center.
After falling behind 10-4 within the first three minutes of play, Husson (14-3) utilized a 13-0 run to take control of the game with just under 13 minutes left in the opening half. Colby (8-9) knotted the game back up at 17 just minutes later and the two teams would trade leads for the next eight-plus minutes of the half, until the Eagles used another scoring run to take a 43-36 lead into the locker room after the game was previously tied up at 30.
Senior Jeremy Moronta and junior Riles Neff continued to carry the load offensively for Husson, as both players tallied double-figure points in the first half. Moronta added five rebounds and four steals to his 12 points, while Neff dished out four assists to go along with his 10 points.
The Eagles shot an even 50% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes of action, including a 4-11 clip from downtown. Husson forced the Mules into 11 first half turnovers and limited them to no free throw attempts in the opening frame.
The Eagles continued their momentum to begin the second half, as they took their largest lead of the game on a three-pointer from Neff to take a 52-40 edge with 17 minutes remaining. Although Husson maintained control of the lead for a large portion of the second half, Colby refused to go away and would eventually take a 76-75 lead with just over three minutes remaining.
Neff would look to take over the game late for the Eagles, as he scored the team's final six points of the contest, including a pair of free throws that gave his team an 81-80 advantage with 31 seconds left. Unfortunately for Neff, his heroics wouldn't be enough, as a Colby layup with 11 seconds left would be the eventual game-winner. Husson would have a chance to take the lead back, but failed to get a shot away, as a late turnover from the Eagles allowed the Mules to run the final seconds off the clock.
Neff concluded his evening with a game-high 26 points, in addition to handing out seven assists. Moronta finished one rebound shy of a double-double, as he tallied 21 points and nine rebounds to go along with his four steals. Freshman Andre McCauley came to life in the second half, as he recorded nine of his 15 points in the final frame to conclude a 7-13 shooting performance.
Husson's shooting percentage took a slight dip in the second half, as it finished at 46% from the floor for the game, in addition to an 11-13 rate from the charity stripe. The Eagles outscored the Mules 46-16 in the paint, but the story of the game was Colby's three-point shooting, as it recorded 17 made threes and a 40.5% three-point shooting percentage, compared to just six made threes for Husson.
The Eagles will return home for their final non-conference game of the season this Saturday when they host Bryant & Stratton College (Albany) with tip-off set for 2 p.m.
