FARMINGTON, Maine – The Husson University men's basketball team remained unbeaten in North Atlantic Conference play as it defeated the University of Maine at Farmington 88-80 on Monday evening.
Husson (13-1, 5-0 NAC) and Farmington (8-5, 2-2 NAC) played to an even first eight minutes of action that saw the Beavers lead for the majority of the time, but the Eagles were able to keep themselves in the contest. Husson was able to use a 15-6 scoring run to take its largest lead of the opening 20 minutes on a three-pointer from graduate student Luke Caruso, which made the score 30-22 with under eight minutes remaining. It was the Beavers who ended the half on a stronger note, as they put together a 22-10 spurt to close the frame and sent the Eagles into the locker room facing a four-point deficit.
Junior Riles Neff used an efficient first half shooting performance to lead the Husson scoring attack, as he tallied 14 points on 4-6 shooting, including a perfect 2-2 from three-point range. Senior Scott Lewis came off the bench to score seven points of his own, while freshman Andre McCauley posted six.
The Eagles broke the 50% plateau from the floor as a team in the first half, shooting 51.7%, including 50% from beyond the arc. Farmington was able to break down the Husson defense, which ranked top 10 in the nation for field goal percentage defense entering Monday, as it also shot over 50% from the floor in the opening half.
After trailing for a second-consecutive game at the half, the Eagles were able to gradually take control of the game throughout the second half and would take the lead for good with 12:03 to play on a jumper from Lewis that made the score 58-56. Strong individual play from Neff and McCauley down the stretch, in addition to clutch free throw shooting, would lead Husson to a perfect 5-0 mark in NAC action.
Neff finished with a game-high 27 points to lead the Eagles, in addition to grabbing seven rebounds and handing out four assists. McCauley and Lewis both tallied 13 points for Husson on a combined 11-20 shooting, while McCauley added two steals. Senior Jeremy Moronta concluded his evening with seven points, eight rebounds and nine assists, in addition to senior Jared Balser also finishing in double-figures with 10 points.
The Eagles continued their hot shooting in the second half, finishing at 54.4% for the game, including 55% from downtown and 15-19 from the free throw line. Effective ball sharing led Husson to 18 assists on 31 made field goals and strong interior defense allowed the team to post four blocked shots.
The Eagles will hit the road again this weekend, as they will travel to Johnson, Vt. on Friday to take on Vermont State University Johnson with tip-off set for 4 p.m.
