BANGOR, Maine – The Husson University men's basketball team scored 54 of its 76 points in the paint and pulled away late to earn a 76-64 North Atlantic Conference win over the University of Maine-Presque Isle on Friday evening at Newman Gymnasium.

Senior Riles Neff looked to put Husson (5-5, 3-0 NAC) on his back early on, as he scored the first two baskets of Friday's game to give the Eagles an early lead.

UMPI (7-3, 0-1 NAC) responded with eight-straight points of its own to take possession of the lead and would hold its advantage for a large portion of the opening half, taking its biggest lead of nine with 3:53 remaining in the opening 20 minutes.

The Eagles closed the first half on the right foot after the final media timeout of the frame, as they turned a 28-19 deficit into a 31-30 halftime lead.

The starting five did all the scoring for Husson in the opening 20 minutes, as Neff led the charge with eight, while junior Gil Matondo and graduate students Jeremy Moronta and Scott Lewis all added six, in addition to sophomore Andre McCauley contributing five.

Turnovers played a crucial part in the opening half, as the Owls committed 10 giveaways, which led to 13 points for the Eagles, while UMPI showcased better ball movement on offense, tallying 11 assists compared to just three for Husson.

The Eagles did their best to pull away from the pesky Owls in the opening part of the second half, getting their edge up to nine on an and-one from freshman Connor Heald with just 11:37 to play, but UMPI refused to go away.

The Owls got the deficit down to two with 3:32 left to play on a pair of free throws from Akhe McMichael, but a 9-0 run from Husson immediately ballooned the lead back up to a 72-61 game and essentially put the game away.

Neff led the Eagles in scoring with 20 on 7-15 shooting, in addition to a perfect 6-6 from the foul line, while Lewis contributed 16 points and five rebounds.

Moronta stuffed the stat-sheet with an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double, in addition to five assists, while Matondo rounded-out the double-figure scoring with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Husson more than doubled the amount of points in the paint that the Owls had, outscoring its NAC counterpart 54-26 in the key, in addition to a 28-12 edge in points off turnovers.

The Eagles shot nearly 44% from the floor as a team, in addition to 12-14 from the foul line, while winning the rebounding battle 42-30, including a 13-3 edge on the offensive boards.

It's a quick turnaround for Husson, as it will host the University of Maine at Fort Kent tomorrow in a non-conference contest scheduled for 3 p.m. at Newman Gymnasium.