BANGOR, Maine – For a second-consecutive game the Husson University men's basketball team turned what was a close game at halftime into a second-half rout, as it defeated Thomas College on Wednesday night by a score of 92-76, after outscoring the Terriers 45-34 in the second half and leading by as much as 21 during the final 20 minutes inside Newman Gymnasium.
Husson (16-7, 10-1 NAC) jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on Thomas (7-13, 3-7 NAC) and forced a quick timeout from the Terriers at the 17:36 mark.
After Thomas cut four points off the early lead, the Eagles answered with a 9-0 run to take a 16-4 lead nearly seven minutes in.
The remainder of the opening half saw Husson lead by five to 10 points, as a late three-pointer from Parker Desjardins sent the Terriers into the locker room with a little momentum, trailing just 47-42.
Senior Riles Neff led the way for Husson in the first half, posting 13 points on 5-7 shooting, including 3-5 from beyond the arc, while junior Ty Henke came off the bench to score 11 points in a two-minute span, including three three-pointers.
Both offenses were clicking on all cylinders in the first frame, as both teams shot over 52% from the floor and combined for 13 three-pointers on 31 attempts.
The Eagles outscored Thomas 20-3 in bench points in the first half and held a 14-5 edge in points off turnovers.
The second half also started with an early run for Husson, as a 10-2 spurt out of the gate put the Eagles back up by double-figures to begin the half.
After back-to-back threes from Thomas cut the lead down to seven, Husson firmly put the game away with an 8-0 run to take a 15-point lead.
The lead grew to as much as 21 for the Eagles in the second half, as they cruised to a North Atlantic Conference win in their final home game of the regular season.
Neff finished with 20 points, tying Camryn Yorke of Thomas for the game-high, as Neff shot 8-15 from the floor and 4-8 from deep in his ninth 20-point game of the season.
Graduate student Jeremy Moronta erupted for 14 points in the second half to finish with 19 for the game, in addition to five rebounds and six assists on 7-11 shooting from the floor.
Henke, graduate student Scott Lewis and junior Gil Matondo each registered double-figure point totals, as Henke and Matondo posted 11, while Lewis added 10 and seven rebounds.
Husson shot 48.6% from the floor as a team, including 32% from three-point range, while limiting the Terriers to just 2-12 from long-range in the second half, following a hot first half.
The Eagles held a 33-29 edge on the glass and forced 20 turnovers from Thomas, which led to 28 points, while only committing eight giveaways themselves.
Husson will look to put a stranglehold on the top-seed in the NAC East Division on Saturday when it travels to Maine Maritime Academy for a 3 p.m. conference game.
