BANGOR, Maine – The Husson University men's basketball team came up just short in its season opener on Sunday afternoon, falling to Clark University 60-59 in a tightly contested non-conference matchup inside William P. Newman Gymnasium.
Despite holding a six-point halftime advantage and leading by as many as seven points in the second half, the Eagles (0-1) were unable to hold off a late surge from the Cougars (1-1), who escaped with the one-point victory.
Husson was led offensively by Dylan Burpee, who finished with a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds while shooting 7-of-13 from the field. Christian Smith added 12 points, five rebounds, five steals and two assists, while Jakub Pasieczny contributed nine points and four rebounds.
Tope Alao chipped in eight points, four rebounds, four steals and a team-high three assists, while Andre McCauley recorded six points, four rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block.
The Eagles opened the contest with five unanswered points behind a three-pointer from Alao and a fast-break layup from Burpee. Clark responded with a 10-3 run to take its first lead of the afternoon, eventually extending its advantage to 18-10 midway through the opening half.
Husson battled back behind a three-pointer from Roman Snytiuk and a layup from Smith before consecutive baskets from Pasieczny gave the Eagles a 24-23 advantage with 2:14 remaining before halftime.
A three-pointer from Alao extended the lead to four with 57 seconds remaining, while Burpee converted a putback layup at the buzzer to send Husson into the locker room holding a 29-23 advantage.
The Eagles carried that momentum into the second half, extending their lead to 36-29 following a jumper from Burpee with 17:15 remaining.
Clark answered with a 5-0 run to trim the deficit to two, but Husson responded with four consecutive points from McCauley and Smith to push its advantage back to six at 40-34 with 14:43 remaining.
The Cougars continued to chip away, eventually tying the contest at 40-40 with 13:03 left following consecutive three-pointers from Christopher Clarke and Trace Clark.
Husson regained control with a 7-2 run, highlighted by a three-pointer from Jayeson VanBeveren, to take a 47-42 lead with 11:15 remaining. The Eagles maintained their advantage until a three-pointer from Clark tied the game at 49-49 with 8:15 to play.
Clark took its first lead of the second half on a layup from Trace Clark with 6:28 remaining, but Pasieczny answered with a layup to even the score at 51-51 just 20 seconds later.
The Cougars followed with four unanswered points to take a 55-51 advantage before Burpee connected from beyond the arc to bring Husson within one at 55-54 with 4:40 remaining.
Clark extended its advantage to 58-54 with under two minutes remaining, but McCauley knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 58-56 with 48 seconds left.
Following two free throws from Elijah Small that pushed the Cougars' lead to 60-56 with 12 seconds remaining, Burpee converted a layup while drawing a foul with just three seconds left.
He completed the three-point play to pull the Eagles within one at 60-59, but Husson was unable to complete the comeback.
The Eagles held a 37-30 advantage on the glass, including 17 offensive rebounds, while forcing 22 Clark turnovers and recording 14 steals. Husson also held a 16-11 edge in fast-break points and an 11-7 advantage in second-chance points.
Husson finished the afternoon shooting 36.1 percent (22-of-61) from the field, including 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from three-point range, while connecting on 9-of-11 attempts from the free-throw line.
Clark shot 47.8 percent (22-of-46) from the floor and 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from beyond the arc.
Nidas Paulauskas paced the Cougars with 12 points, while Trace Clark and Small added 11 points apiece. Small also recorded four blocks, while Malik Matanmi contributed eight points and seven rebounds.
The Eagles are back in action on Wednesday when they head to Saint Joseph's College of Maine for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
