Both the Husson men’s and women’s basketball teams were competing in the 2019 North Atlantic Conference Tournament on Friday night. And with two wins, the teams now both stand just one win away from an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
In the men’s game at UMaine-Farmington, Husson jumped to a huge halftime lead and held on to defeat Suny-Canton 85-74.
DJ Bussey and Justin Martin both were huge in the first half as the Eagles used an 18-0 run to break open a close game and led 46-23 at halftime.
Suny-Canton got within nine with three minutes left in the game, but Husson held on down the stretch. Bussey led the way with 26 points. Martin had 20 points, six rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. Corey Kaiser came off the bench to score 15 points and grab five rebounds, while Justin Thompson put in 14 points and had 10 rebounds. Robert Holliday Jr. led the Kangaroos with 18 points and nine rebounds, as Suny-Canton ends their season at 14-13.
Husson is now 16-10 and will face Thomas College at UMF in the NAC title game Saturday at 2 pm. Thomas knocked off top seed UMaine-Farmington 86-85 in the first semifinal.
In the women’s game in Bangor at Newman Gym, the top seeded Eagles cruised past Northern Vermont-Lyndon 77-39 in the semifinals.
Husson only shot 30 percent from the floor in the first half, but had a sizable lead because the Hornets only shot at a 25 percent clip. The Eagles led 35-19 at the break. A back and forth pretty even third quarter with the Eagles outscoring the Hornets 13-9 had the hosts up 20 headed for the fourth quarter. Vanessa Duarte came off the bench to score 10 fourth quarter points, and Logan Huckins added seven as the Eagles pulled away outscoring the visitors 29-11 in the final 10 minutes.
Huckins was the high scorer for Husson with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Kenzie Worcester had 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Emma Alley added 12, and Duarte finished with 10. Megan Peach added eight points and grabbed 15 rebounds, as the Eagles outrebounded the Hornets 55-34. Alisha Celley and Faith Poirier had 10 points a piece for NVU-Lyndon, with Celley adding 10 rebounds. The Hornets finish their season at 14-12.
18-8 Husson will play for the North Atlantic Conference title on their home floor at Newman Gym at 2 pm Saturday against Maine Maritime Academy. The Mariners defeated Suny-Canton 55-43 in Fridays second semifinal. The Eagles and Mariners split their two regular season meetings, with both teams winning on their home court.
