Husson women’s basketball head coach Kissy Walker (yellow) looks over the action during Friday nights home game vs Suny-Canton. Walker recorded her 500th career victory in the Eagles win. Photo by Chris Lessner (click to enlarge)
The Husson University basketball teams welcomed in the Suny-Canton Roos for the first of a weekend doubleheader in North Atlantic Conference play on Friday night at Newman Gymnasium in Bangor. Both Eagles clubs looked to stay unbeaten at 6-0 so far in league play.
In the men’s game, Suny-Canton used a very strong first half and also made a big run to start the second half to take a big lead, then had to hold on down the stretch for a 94-79 win over Husson.
The Eagles took an early 8-2 lead, before the Roos made a 10-0 run to overtake the lead. Hussons last lead of the first half was 13-12, but after that it was all visitors and they led by as many as 18 and held a 45-29 halftime lead. A 13-2 run over the first five minutes of the second half extended the Suny-Canton lead to 58-31.
A 31-13 surge by Husson (9-6, 5-1 NAC) over the next 10 minutes got the Eagles within 10 at 72-62 on a Brett Cunningham three pointer with 5:33 to play, but got no closer as the Roos sent the Eagles to their first conference loss and improved their record to 10-8, 6-1.
Cunningham came off the bench to lead Husson with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Justice Kendall added 14 points, and DJ Bussey chipped in 13 points with four steals. Four of the five starters scored in double figures for Suny-Canton, led by 17 each from Jordan Stewart and Robert Holliday Jr. Andrew Fitch and Brandon Adkisson had 16 each. Danny Santana came off the bench to put in 10 points.
In the women’s game, Kenzie Worcester scored 23 of her game high 31 points in the second half as Husson stayed unbeaten in NAC play by getting past Suny-Canton 64-55, giving head coach Kissy Walker her 500th career coaching win at the school.
Suny-Canton (5-11, 3-4 NAC) had an early 9-7 after one quarter, before Husson used a 30 point second quarter sparked by 11 points from Megan Peach to take a 37-29 halftime lead. Worcester scored 12 of the Eagles 16 points in the third quarter as Husson increased the lead to 53-37 headed to the final 10 minutes.
The Roos got within seven in the final quarter on an Autumn Watkins layup, but the Eagles regained control including a pair of threes from Worcester, who also hit 5-6 from the line in the quarter and the visitors never got closer than eight the rest of the way. The win improves the Husson record to 10-6, 6-0 NAC.
Worcester added 12 rebounds to her point total. Peach also had a double double with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Joan Overman also added 10 rebounds, as the Eagles outrebounded the Roos 49-38. Jenifer Morgan-Aubin led Suny-Canton with 16 points, and Antanasia Chambers chipped in 12. The two schools meet again Saturday in another men’s and women’s doubleheader, with the men tipping at 12 noon and the women at 2 pm.
For coach Walker, she becomes the winningest coach in any sport at Husson reaching her milestone of 500 wins in her 29th year as the head coach.
