BANGOR, ME

The top two teams according to the NAC preseason poll clashed on Saturday afternoon as it was Husson hosting UMPI. Though the Owls may give some reason to doubt their preseason ranking now nine games into their season, they have fought through several injuries and adversity, as it was on full display against the Eagles

How it Happened:

The Owls limped into the contest shorthanded, an unfortunate trend so far this season as they were without Doug McCalla who is inching closer to his return, as well as Dwaine Williams. McCalla and Williams were two of UMPI's best players from last year's team, but the theme of next man up came through yet again as the Owls clawed their way through and competed against the conference's perennial powerhouse.

The Eagles entered the contest as the top scoring team in the conference, but UMPI quickly took that element out of the game. It took two minutes before either side could score as UMPI made the game's first basket. Husson quickly took control, but never full control as they played with a slim lead the whole first half. Husson slowly crept out to a 12 point lead at 26-14, but UMPI quickly sunk a three to ensure things didn't spiral with 2:06 to go in the half. They closed out the frame trailing by eight points at 27-19. Neither team had a fun time shooting it in the first half as the Owls shot 7 of 30 from the field while Husson went 9 for 30.

The Owls started the second half on fire, as they grabbed their first lead, albeit a small one at 34-33 with 15:43 to go. But th Eagles made sure that it didn't last long. Going from a 40-40 tie with 13:08 left, the Eagles slowly grew a lead as it became more of the same struggle for both sides as the first half was. UMPI battled to stay in it while Husson battled to try and pull away. Neither seemed to have any success as the game hovered at a single digit lead for the Eagles almost the entire second half.

The Owls were able to cut it to three points at 54-51, but frustratingly, the Eagles were able to rally back, taking a nine-point lead at 62-51 with under three minutes left. UMPI needed a hot streak to get back in it, but the Owls could never get that key shot to fall to earn enough momentum. UMPI fought to the very end despite their frustrating day offensively. Husson closed out the win by a score of 70-60.

Top Performers:

UMPI was led by Akhe McMichael as he returned to the court after sitting out two games due to an injury. He had 16 points, while going 9-10 from the line. Tyson Enget continued his production with a 12 point game, going 5-8 from the field. James Yamshita had 11 with three three-pointers, and Aleix Moreno had 10 as well as eight rebounds and four steals to lead the Owls on the glass.

Next Up:

UMPI drops to 1-2 in conference play and will be in action next Friday night with another tough matchup, this one at University of Maine at Farmington.