COBLESKILL, N.Y. – The Husson University men's basketball team is back on top of the North Atlantic Conference after an 80-70 victory on the road against SUNY Cobleskill on Saturday afternoon in the NAC Championship.
With the win, Husson captures its ninth NAC title since 2009, including two in the past three years, and improves to 15-4 overall in championship games under head coach Warren Caruso.
Husson (23-5) got Saturday's conference championship tilt started off on the right foot, opening up a quick 7-2 edge just two minutes into the contest, thanks to five points from freshman Andre McCauley and two from graduate student Derek Collin.
The Eagles had an answer for each Cobleskill (17-11) run throughout the beginning part of the opening half, trailing for just 13 seconds in the first 20 minutes of play. Husson closed the half strong, nearly taking a double-digit lead going into the locker room after going on a 12-4 run over a seven-plus minute stretch, but a late three-pointer from Iziah Pigott cut the deficit to just 41-34 for the Fighting Tigers going into halftime.
McCauley put together a stellar first half to lead the Eagles offensively, tallying 12 points on an efficient 4-5 shooting. Sophomore Eric Ahlers continued to provide an offensive spark off the bench for Husson, pouring in eight points, including two three-pointers, in just seven minutes of action.
Senior Jeremy Moronta did everything and thensome for the Eagles in the opening half, recording just four points, but adding eight rebounds, four assists and two steals to an impressive first-half statline. Fellow senior Scott Lewis was an anchor defensively, swatting away three shots and adding two steals in the first half.
Husson shot an even 41% from the floor in the opening frame, including a 5-11 clip from beyond the arc. The Eagles tallied 12 fast break points in a fast-paced 20 minutes of basketball, in addition to forcing Cobleskill into eight turnovers.
The Eagles continued their run in the second half, scoring the first five points of the half to match their largest lead of the game of 12. The Fighting Tigers clawed their way back into the game, drawing within five of Husson, but the Eagles immediately got their lead back up to double-digits and were able to hold off Cobleskill, maintaining a lead of two-possessions or more for the remainder of the contest.
Ahlers and senior Scott Lewis led a balanced scoring attack, tallying 16 points each. Lewis continued his stellar defensive effort in the second half, finishing with six blocks and three steals, while Ahlers netted four three-pointers to stretch the Cobleskill defense out.
McCauley finished with 15, while Moronta and junior Riles Neff each added 11. Moronta also contributed 13 rebounds and finished two assists shy of a triple-double, in addition to recording five steals. Neff posted five rebounds and five assists to round-out the double-figure scoring for Husson.
The Eagles finished at just under 40% from the floor as a team, including shooting 10-24 from beyond the arc and 18-26 from the charity stripe. Husson shared the ball effectively, posting 18 assists on its 26 made field goals, while playing strong perimeter defense on Cobleskill, holding the Fighting Tigers to just 6-23 from beyond the arc.
Moronta was named tournament MVP, while McCauley and Ahlers also were named to the NAC all-tournament team.
Husson will now await its opponent for its first-round NCAA Division III Tournament game, which will be announced on Monday during the NCAA selection show at 1 p.m.
