BANGOR, Maine – Four of Husson's starters finished in double figures to deliver the Eagles' first victory of the season, a 77-64 defeat of Maine Maritime Academy in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) opener. The Mariners (1-4, 0-1 NAC) led by as many as 11-points late in the first half, but watched as the Eagles (1-4, 1-0 NAC) turned the game around over the final three-and-a-half minutes of the first period.
Shawn Dostie (Bowdoinham, Maine), who led all scorers with 21 points, put Maine Maritime ahead 30-19, earning three points the hard way with 4:26 left in the opening period. It was the last points MMA put on the board in the opening stanza. A little over a minute later, Brooks Spaulding drained a pair of free throws to make it a 30-21 game with 3:23 left in the first period. Spaulding, who finished the game with 15 points, sparked a 9-0 run to the locker room.
MMA still held a seven-point lead, 30-23 with 20 seconds left in the half. Wes Murphy stripped the Mariners and drained a jumper with 17 ticks showing, and then Dan Fleming robbed Maine Maritime once again setting up an Aaron Willis trey to make it 30-28 11 seconds later.
In addition to Spaulding's 15, Husson got 18 points from Marc Zaharchuk, while Daeshawn McMorrin and Phil Leighton each chipped in with a dozen. Murphy was the only starter not to reach double-digits. Willis scored nine points on a three-of-three effort from beyond the arc.
The game was tight over the first ten minutes of the second half, before Husson embarked on what became the decisive 10-3 run. Willis drained another trey to cap the spurt, making it 61-50 with 7:32 in regulation. MMA's Tyler Pineo (Corinth, Maine) halted the run with one of his five three-pointers on the day to make it an eight-point game. It was as close as the Mariners got the rest of the way. Pineo finished with 17 points, while Benjamin Russell (Farmington, Maine) gave the Mariners 12.
Both teams shot well throughout the contest, each knocking down 46 percent of their shots. Husson did a better job of cashing in on the abundance of turnovers in the game, scoring 24 off of MMA's miscues. The Mariners only posted 16 points on Husson's 20 turnovers. In the end, the Mariners' couldn't get enough minutes from its bench to keep pace with the hosts.
Maine Maritime set the pace early on, opening the game on a 13-4 run that included three-pointers from Andy Ball (Hermon, Maine) and Russell. MMA controlled the better part of the first 20 minutes until the breakdown in the final 30 seconds of the opening half.
The Mariners return to action Monday night against Bowdoin.
HUSSON 77, MAINE MARITIME ACADEMY 64
MAINE MARITIME ACADEMY (1-4)
Shawn Dostie 9-15 3-6 21; Tyler Pineo 6-13 0-0 17; Benjamin Russell 3-5 5-6 12; Andy Ball 3-7 0-0 7; Brandon Theriault 1-7 1-2 4; Shawn Silva 1-1 1-1 3; Jason Hatch 0-0 0-0 0; David Lord 0-0 0-0 0; Scott Alexander 0-1 0-0 0; Nick Richie 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-49 10-15 64.
HUSSON UNIVERSITY (1-4)
Marc Zaharchuk 5-9 8-10 18; Brooks Spaulding 5-8 4-8 15; Daeshawn McMorrin 5-9 2-2 12; Phil Leighton 3-10 5-6 12; Aaron Willis 3-6 0-0 9; Wes Murphy 2-5 2-2 7; Jon Klages 1-1 0-0 3; C.J. Hodges 0-3 1-2 1; Jordan Leeman 0-0 0-0 0; Dan Fleming 0-1 0-0 0; Eze VanBuckley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-52 22-30 77.
Maine Maritime Academy........ 30 34 - 64
Husson University........................ 28 49 - 77
3-point goals--Maine Maritime Academy 8-18 (Tyler Pineo 5-11; Brandon Theriault 1-3; Benjamin Russell 1-1; Andy Ball 1-3), Husson 7-14 (Aaron Willis 3-3; Phil Leighton 1-3; Jon Klages 1-1; Wes Murphy 1-3; Brooks Spaulding 1-1; C.J. Hodges 0-3).
Fouled out--Maine Maritime Academy-None, Husson-None.
Rebounds--Maine Maritime Academy 21 (Shawn Dostie 8), Husson 33 (Brooks Spaulding 7; Marc Zaharchuk 7).
Assists--Maine Maritime Academy 15 (Benjamin Russell 5), Husson 17 (Aaron Willis 5; Daeshawn McMorrin 5).
Total fouls--Maine Maritime Academy 24, Husson 17.
Technical fouls--Maine Maritime Academy-None, Husson-None.