BANGOR, Maine – The Husson University men's basketball team snapped its brief two-game losing streak after it defeated Bryant & Stratton College (Albany) 74-70 on Saturday afternoon inside Newman Gymnasium in the team's final non-conference contest of the season.
Bryant & Stratton (8-6) started out strong, opening up a 14-6 lead through the first nine minutes of the first half thanks in part to strong play on the defensive end, holding Husson (15-3) scoreless for a four-minute stretch after the Eagles recorded the first basket of the game. Husson's bench got them back into the game, as it rattled off a quick 9-0 run to give the Eagles the lead back. The lead would change hands nine times over the next five minutes of action, but it was the Bobcats who got the last laugh in the first half, as they used a 10-2 run over the final two and a half minutes of the opening half to take a 34-27 edge into the locker room.
Junior Riles Neff and sophomore Eric Ahlers paced Husson in the first half, as both tallied seven points. Senior Scott Lewis was the only other Eagle to record more than one field goal made in the opening half, as he added five points and two blocked shots. Freshman Tope Alao made an impact beyond the box score for Husson, as he was the only player to finish with a positive plus-minus in the first half, tallying a +5 rating.
A chilly first-half shooting performance plagued the Eagles, as they mustered just a 31% shooting percentage to open the game, including just 1-9 from three-point range.
The two teams traded buckets to begin the final period, but a pivotal 11-0 run from Husson gave it a 45-41 lead with 13:33 to play. The Bobcats would retake the lead just a couple of minutes later, but the Eagles took the lead for good with 11:17 left and would hang on for the victory in the first-ever matchup between these two schools in men's basketball.
Neff turned it on in the second half, as he poured in 18 points to finish with 25 on the afternoon. Senior Jared Balser provided a strong interior presence for Husson with his 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots, while fellow senior Jeremy Moronta stuffed the stat-sheet with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, in addition to seven assists and two steals.
The Eagles found their rhythm offensively as a team in the final frame, as they shot just a shade under 50% from the floor in the half, but the team made its biggest impact at the free throw line, shooting 21-25 for the game, including 17-20 in the second 20 minutes.
It's back to North Atlantic Conference play now for Husson, as it will host divisional rival University of Maine-Presque Isle on Tuesday evening. Tip-off for this mid-week contest is set for 5:30 p.m.
