PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – The Husson University men's basketball team entered the locker room at halftime up by just one point on the University of Maine-Presque Isle, but a 21-point second half from senior Riles Neff turned that one point lead into a 21-point victory, as Husson defeated UMPI 81-60 in North Atlantic Conference action on Saturday afternoon in Presque Isle.
The opening half between Husson (15-7, 9-1 NAC) and UMPI (16-5, 9-3 NAC) was a competitive one with lots of energy, which saw the lead change hands eight times in the opening half and had neither team lead by more than two possessions until graduate student Jeremy Moronta hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Eagles up by seven with just over a minute left in the frame.
Moronta's 10 paced the Eagles in the first half, as Husson shot just 31.6% from the floor in what was an offensive struggle for both teams, as the Owls mustered just a 34.3% clip in the opening 20 minutes.
Husson took more of an inside approach to gather a 33-32 halftime lead, while UMPI connected on 6-13 from long-distance to stay within striking distance.
Neff's second half takeover started right from the jump, as he poured in 11 of Husson's first 15 points of the half, but the Owls managed to stay close, with the score at 48-42 in favor of the Eagles.
After a layup from Akhe McMichael brought the lead down to four, Husson put together a 13-0 run to blow the contest open with Neff drilling two huge threes during the stretch.
The Eagles dominated the remainder of the way, putting together another 9-0 spurt late in the game to get the lead to as much as 26 and cruised to the season-sweep of the Owls.
Neff's 27 led all scorers, as the California native shot 12-21 from the floor and 3-7 from three-point land.
Moronta put together his 21st-career double-double with a 17-point, 12-rebound performance, while also adding five steals, in addition to graduate student Scott Lewis adding 13 points and three blocks.
Husson shot 42.1% for the game, including 52.6% in the second half, while scoring 44 points in the paint and outrebounding UMPI 47-35.
The Eagles will host Thomas College on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in their final home contest of the regular season.
