BANGOR, Maine – The Husson University men's basketball team battled unbeaten Bowdoin College to an 82-69 loss on Sunday afternoon at Newman Gymnasium.
Husson (2-5) and Bowdoin (6-0) played a high-scoring first half of play in what was shaping up to be a repeat of last year's double-overtime thriller between the two teams that saw the Eagles come out victorious.
In an opening half that saw neither team lead by more than two possessions, both teams recorded efficient shooting percentages, as the Eagles shot nearly 42% from the floor, while the Polar Bears eclipsed a 51% clip from the floor.
Bowdoin took its largest lead of the half three times inside the final 2:30 of the first 20 minutes and would enter the locker room up by six after a three from Ray Cuevas banked-in from the left wing and gave the Polar Bears a 45-39 edge at the break.
Senior Riles Neff was the lone Eagle in double-figures during the first half with 11 points and three assists, while graduate student Jeremy Moronta and junior Gil Matondo each tallied eight, while Moronta grabbed seven rebounds.
The undermanned Eagles did their best to hang tough with their unbeaten New England Small College Athletic Conference foes, as a layup from Neff at the 12-minute mark cut the deficit back to six, but the Polar Bears would make their run.
Bowdoin would outscore Husson 21-11 over the next nine-plus minutes to take a commanding 16-point lead with just over two minutes left and would wrap up its sixth win of the season.
Matondo led the Eagles with a career-high of 23 points, including 15 in the second half, in addition to grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots.
Neff also surpassed the 20-point plateau, as he added 21 and also dished out five assists and recorded four steals. Moronta tied his career-high on the boards, as he grabbed 14 rebounds, including six offensive boards and also posted four steals.
As a team, Husson shot nearly 37% from the floor, in addition to 26.3% from beyond the arc, while converting on 20-24 free throw attempts. The Eagles dropped the rebounding margin 42-35, but forced Bowdoin into 20 turnovers.
The Eagles will open North Atlantic Conference play on Wednesday when they host Maine Maritime Academy at 7:30 p.m.
