BANGOR – There was a time when most Maine Athletic Conference women’s basketball teams could anticipate an “automatic” victory over Thomas College.

Those days are over, as the Husson Braves will attest.

Leslie Trott broke loose for 19 points and eight rebounds in the second half Monday night, helping Husson eke out an 80-73 victory over Thomas at Newman Gym.

Coach Kissy Walker’s 11-8 Braves improved to 6-2 in conference play, avenging a 73-72 loss to the Terriers at Waterville.

Thomas, under Chris Aube, slipped to 11-8 and 4-4, respectively.

In the men’s game, the Braves pulled away in the second half to post a 95-65 victory.

The Husson women needed every ounce of their energy to outlast Thomas, a team with only seven players on its roster.

“They are a tough team to be in a close game with because they can hit the 3[-pointer] and they can shoot from the free throw line,” Walker said. “I don’t care if they have seven kids or 10 kids.”

Thomas, which led by as many as 12 points in the first half, couldn’t quite pull it out. Katie Morrell’s 3-pointer drew the visitors within 75-72 with 59 seconds left, but Kelly Dow’s layup 24 seconds later helped Husson stay on top.

Trott was a force for the Braves in the second half. The tenacious junior from Brewer went 6-for-10 from the field and 6-for-6 from the foul line while dominating the rebounding action, grabbing six on the offensive end.

“They killed us on the offensive glass in the second half,” Aube said. “When you give a team of Husson’s caliber two or three shots at the basket, they’re going to finally get one to drop.”

Trott finished with game highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds, adding four blocked shots, three steals, and two assists.

“We wanted to get a win, hold onto our [second-place] standing in the MAC,” Trott said.

Senior guard Liza Doughty of Hermon scored 21 points and contributed eight rebounds and six assists for the winners, while Dow of Sebec Village chipped in with 12 points. Katie Nye of Corinna added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Heather Farrell of Calais and Betsy Pratt sparked Thomas with 15 points each. Erin Lovely and Courtney Corbett provided 12 points and seven rebounds apiece.

Husson, which ended the first half with a 9-0 run, continued its resurgence after the break. Corbett’s free throw put Thomas in front 37-33 before the Braves started to click offensively.

Trott opened a key 8-0 spurt with an eight-foot jump hook from the baseline, then Doughty scored a fast-break layup off a Leslie Weed pass. Trott made two foul shots, then scored on an offensive rebound to put Husson in front for good at 41-37.

The Braves implemented a 3-2 zone defense that seemed to complicate matters for the Terriers’ 3-point-oriented attack.

“That defense really helped us out defending those 3-point shooters, because they have plenty of them on that team,” Trott said.

In the men’s game, Husson capitalized on its versatility and depth, pulling away in the second half.

Coach Warren Caruso’s Braves, now 13-4 (7-1 MAC), went after the Terriers (5-12, 2-5) with multiple lineup combinations. Thomas didn’t have enough answers.

Robert Pilsbury of Portland led Husson’s balanced attack with 21 points and Ryan Rivera of Bradford connected for 12.

Randy Fletcher (12 rebounds), Quinson Lancaster of Fairfield, Anthony Russo of Portland, and Matt Breen of Rockland (7 rebounds) contributed 11 points apiece.

Husson, which beat Thomas 98-83 earlier this season, shot 51 percent from the floor (36-for-71) and outrebounded the Terriers 49-37.

“We have some options to go to and what we’ve got to do is find the balance that works for us that night,” Caruso said. “We think we’ve got some kids who can come off the bench and get the job done.”

Matt Pitcher of Etna paced Thomas with 20 points, while Caribou’s Scott Raymond had 18 points and eight rebounds. Jimmy Cardaci chipped in with 15 points.

The Braves, who built a 14-point, first-half lead, gradually distanced themselves in the second half. Husson led 59-48 at the 10:44 mark when it put together an 11-4 run with help from a defensive switch.

“The key to the game was we went to a [2-3 matchup] zone with about 11 minutes left and I think that caused them to change their offensive flow just enough that we got a little separation,” Caruso said.

Russo drained a 3-pointer and Scott Griffin scored from inside before Thomas’ Josh Grant connected from the lane. Breen hit one free throw, but Cardaci answered for the Terriers with a layup.

Two Fletcher foul shots and a conventional three-point play by Breen gave Husson a healthy 70-52 lead with 7:29 left.

Braves 95, Terriers 65

Thomas (5-11) Husson (12-4)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG F AF TP

Dunphe 0 3 1 2 1 Armenakis 0 0 0

Orser 1 5 0 0 3 Fletcher 4 9 11

Pitcher 9 18 2 4 20 Rivera 5 11 0 12

Cardaci 7 15 1 2 15 Lancaster 5 10 11

Grant 3 7 0 0 7 Russo 4 8 0 11

Raymond 6 19 4 6 18 Brown 2 3 0 5

Caron 0 0 0 0 0 Greene 2 2 0 5

Look 0 0 1 2 1 Pilsbury 7 15 21

Magnusson 0 3 0 0 0 Cunningham 0 0

Rouse 0 0 0 0 0 Hughes 1 1 0 3

Ray 0 0 0 0 0 Breen 4 9 3 11

Griffin 2 3 1 5

Totals 26 70 9 16 65 Totals 36 71 11 17 95

Thomas 31 65

Husson 42 95

3-pt. goals: Thomas (4-14): Orser 1-4, Pitcher 0-3, Cardaci 0-2, Grant 1-1, Raymond 2-4; Husson (12-32): Fletcher 0-1, Rivera 2-8, Lancaster 1-3, Russo 3-7, Brown 1-2, Greene 1-1, Pilsbury 3-8, Hughes 1-1, Breen 0-1

Attendance: 200 (est.)

Braves 80, Terriers 73

Thomas (11-8) Husson (11-8)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG F AF TP

Pratt 5 14 3 4 15 Allen 1 2 0 2

Nason 1 4 2 2 5 Trott 8 14 6 24

Farrell 3 11 7 7 15 Weed 1 10 2 4

Lovely 4 14 2 2 12 Comeau 0 1 0 0

Morrell 3 10 4 4 12 Hughes 1 2 3 5

Corbett 2 9 1 2 5 Nye 4 6 1 10

Conner 4 7 1 2 9 Doughty 9 15 3 21

Dow 6 9 0 12

Turner 0 0 0 0

Cole 0 1 0 0

Boone 1 1 0 2

Totals 22 69 20 23 73 Totals 31 61 15 19 80

Thomas 36 73

Husson 33 80

3-pt. goals: (Thomas 9-26) : Pratt 2-5, Morrell 2-5, Farrell 2-6, Lovely 2-8, Nason 1-2; (Husson 3-14): Trott 2-3, Nye 1-2, Dow 0-1, Cole 0-1, Doughty 0-2, Weed 0-5

Attendance: 200 (est.)