BANGOR- The Husson University men’s and women’s basketball teams hosted the University of Maine-Presque Isle on Saturday afternoon in the North Atlantic Conference openers for both schools at Newman Gymnasium.
In the women’s game- Husson outscored UMPI 26-18 in the fourth quarter and slipped past the Owls 70-64. Both teams held a lead in the first, with the Eagles taking a 13-9 edge after the opening 10 minutes. The guests ended the first half on a 6-1 run including a pair of baskets from Alexis Ireland and led 29-26 at the break. UMPI would take their largest lead in the third quarter at 42-35, before the Eagles closed it to 46-44 heading to the fourth. Husson jumped back in front for good on two free throws by Hannah Richards at 50-49 with 7:31 left and eventually pushed it out to their largest advantage of eight points, backed by a big second half from Bailey Donovan. Donovan led Husson with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocked shots after only scoring two points in seven minutes in the first half. Richards added 10 points, Roxanne Sasse had nine, and Vanessa Duarte finished with eight points. The Eagles are now 4-3 on the season. Emily Wheaton led UMPI in the loss with 25 points (4-6 three-pointers). Aleia Milano had 16 points, and Ireland ended up with 10 points and nine rebounds. The Owls fall to 3-3. Husson is back in non-conference play on Wednesday night when they visit the University of Maine-Fort Kent.
In the men’s game- After trailing by 13 at the half, Husson outscored UMPI 60-31 in the second half to take an 88-72 victory. 12 points from Brice Lawrence and 10 from Griffin Guerrette allowed the guests to take that halftime lead, as the Eagles only shot 32% from the field in the first 20 minutes. The second half was a much different story as Husson shot 67.5% and got 19 points from Justice Kendall, 13 from Scott Lewis, and 10 from Eric Ahlers in the second 20 minutes alone. A layup by Corey Humbles gave the hosts the lead for good at 51-50 with 14:58 left. Kendall finished with 28 points and 10 assists to lead Husson to the victory. Lewis had 15 points and seven rebounds, Ahlers had 14 points and seven rebounds, Jeremy Moronta had 12 points and four rebounds, and Humbles had 10 points and six rebounds. The Eagles are now 2-4 on the season. Gilbert Jean Mendez had 16 points and five rebounds in the loss for UMPI. Lawrence and Guerrette both ended up with 14 points, and KJ Minter had 10 points. The Owls fall to 1-5. Husson plays in non-conference on the road at #8 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Wednesday night.
