CASTINE, MAINE -- Maine Maritime Academy started the game with an 18 point lead and fended off Husson's comeback aspirations in the second half, to escape with 53-51 win in a North Atlantic Conference men's basketball game Tuesday. The Mariners earned their first win of the season and sit at 1-4 overall, 1-0 NAC while the Eagles fell to 1-3, 0-1.

Andy Ball recorded a double-double for MMA with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Ben Russell added 10 points. Marc Zaharchuk scored a game-high 16 points for Husson and Brooke Spaulding finished with nine points and eight rebounds.

Four of the Mariners starters scored points in the opening four minutes to take a 12-0 lead. Paul Campbell scored four and Ball, Tyler Chiasson, Logan Poirier and Shawn Silva all netted a pair of points for MMA. A pair of Russell free throws gave the Mariners a 20 point, 23-3, lead at 9:25 in the first and MMA would lead by as much as 25 before taking a 36-13 lead into the break.

Husson slowly chipped away at the Mariners lead in the second half beginning at the 15:18 mark with MMA holding a 42-21 lead. The Eagles scored 12 unanswered points in the next five minutes to cut their deficit to nine, 42-33. Zaharchuk scored six points in the run for Husson, Eric Modica added three, Aaron Willis two and Spaulding one. 

MMA increased its lead to 10, 48-38, on a pair of Chiasson free throws at 7:19 before Eagles put together an 11-3 scoring run to close the gap to two, 51-49, with 2:02 left in the game. Brad Reed converted a pair of free throws to put MMA ahead 53-49 before Zaharchuk matched him with a pair of his own to make 53-51 with 48 seconds left. Willis had a chance to send the game into overtime but his layup attempt rimmed out as time expired.

The Mariners return to action Friday hosting Green Mountain at 7:30 p.m.