WATERVILLE, Maine – Senior Hannah Richards posted a career-best 30 points on Saturday afternoon to help lead the Husson University women's basketball team to its first victory of the year with a 79-66 win over Thomas College in North Atlantic Conference play at Larry Mahaney Gymnasium.
Richards was the first player for either team to find the scoring-column in Saturday's game, as she drilled a three-pointer to immediately put Husson (1-6, 1-1 NAC) up on Thomas (1-8, 1-1 NAC).
The Eagles continued their momentum early on, as a layup from freshman Saige Evans capped off an 11-2 run to open the game and forced an early timeout from the Terriers.
After Thomas was able to cut the lead down to five late in the first quarter, Husson scored six of the final seven points in the frame to take a 23-13 lead into the second quarter.
The Terriers wasted no time getting back in the contest, as they opened the second quarter on an 11-1 scoring outburst to knot the game up at 24 with just over five minutes left before halftime.
Husson regained possession of the lead up until the final 1:35 of the half, which saw the lead change hands four times, with the Eagles taking a 37-36 lead into the locker room on a layup from freshman Alana Seward.
Much like the beginning of the first half, Husson utilized a big scoring run to extend its slim advantage, as a 21-4 run over the first six-plus minutes of the final 20 minutes gave the Eagles a commanding 58-40 lead. Richards was the catalyst behind the surge for Husson, as she scored or assisted on 15 of the 21 points during the stretch.
The Terriers once again tried to mount a comeback near the end of the quarter, but another late layup from Seward pushed the edge back to 13 heading into the final period.
Husson kept its lead at 11 points or more for the entirety of the fourth quarter and cruised to its 36th-straight win over Thomas.
Richards recorded her 30 points on an efficient 7-10 from the floor, including 3-5 from beyond the arc, while also shooting 13-16 from the foul line and grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out six assists.
Freshman Lilly Roy and graduate student Trinity Montigny each posted 12 points in the win, while Roy added four steals and Montigny ripped down nine rebounds.
The Eagles shot 43.5% from the floor as a team, which was a season-high, including 35.3% from beyond the arc, in addition to 19-22 from the charity stripe. Husson held a 47-34 edge on the glass and forced the Terriers into 20 turnovers.
Husson will look to make it two-straight wins on Tuesday when it heads to Brunswick to take on No.6/7 Bowdoin College at 7 p.m.
