BANGOR, Maine – The Husson University men's basketball team entered Friday night's contest against Thomas College with just a 36-30 lead, but a second half explosion saw the Eagles match their first half point total not even seven minutes into the final 20 minutes, as they recorded 71 second half points en route to a 107-63 North Atlantic Conference victory over the Terriers at Newman Gymnasium.
Husson (10-5, 9-1 NAC) and Thomas (5-11, 4-5 NAC) played strong defense early on, as a layup from senior Gil Matondo gave the Eagles a slim 8-7 lead nearly six full minutes into the contest.
The Eagles were able to gain some momentum with a huge 22-4 run over the next six and a half minutes of play, sparked by some fluent movement on offense and continuous strong and active defense to limit the Terriers.
Thomas closed the half on the right foot, as a jumper by Isaiah Godley with 36 seconds remaining closed the book on a 19-4 spurt to bring the Terriers within 34-30, but Husson seized all the momentum headed into the locker room, as senior Ty Henke crashed the offensive glass hard for a thunderous putback dunk to give Husson a 36-30 edge headed into halftime.
The Eagles capitalized on Henke's dunk in a big way in the second half, as a three-pointer from senior Eric Ahlers, a fastbreak layup from Matondo and an and-one putback from junior Andre McCauley immediately stretched the lead back to 14 for Husson not even one minute into the second half.
The Eagles continued to pour it on in the final 20 minutes, as a 22-0 run completely put the game out of reach, bringing the score to 79-39. Husson wouldn't let up, leading by as many as 46, to pick up a decisive win for its fifth-straight victory.
Ahlers led the way for the Eagles with another 20-point performance, as he tallied 25, including 17 in the second half, in addition to nine rebounds and two steals, while shooting 9-15 from the floor, including 4-7 from deep.
Sophomore Connor Heald led another quartet of Eagles in double-figures with 15 points and three steals, while Matondo posted 14, sophomore Dylan Burpee added 12 and four steals and McCauley recorded 11 points and five assists.
Husson shot 52.6% from the floor, including 63.4% in the second half, while connecting on 9-16 three-point attempts in the second half after going 0-14 in the first half from deep.
The Eagles dominated points off turnovers, outscoring Thomas 37-11 in the category, in addition to 54-24 in points in the paint and 31-6 in fast break points.
Husson looks to close the weekend strong with a battle against Lesley University at Newman Gymnasium, beginning at 1 p.m.
