November 08, 2024
Sports

Husson sinks Mariners on Martin basket Eagles’ balanced effort ends MMA’s 9-game win streak

BANGOR – Crystal Martin made one field goal in Friday night’s North Atlantic Conference matchup between the Husson and Maine Maritime Academy basketball teams, but it was the biggest basket of the game.

Martin’s driving jumper with one second left on the clock lifted the Eagles to a 78-76 victory over the Mariners of Castine in a hotly contested game at Husson’s Newman Gymnasium.

The win ends MMA’s nine-game winning streak, dropping the Mariners to 10-2. Coach Kissy Walker’s Eagles go to 7-7.

“Coach told us we have been playing with a lot more intensity after the break, so we had to come out and prove it,” Martin said. “That’s what we did tonight.”

Martin, who missed six shots before hitting the final basket of the game, got an inbounds pass from Carmen Ballard with three seconds left on the clock. It was a huge score in a final 1:30 of big baskets.

First, Husson worked a Michelle Murray steal around to Ballard, who drained a 3-pointer from the left side to tie it at 74-74 with 1:29 left. After Maine Maritime’s Alyssa Burns missed two free throws, Holly Gracie gave Husson a 76-74 lead when she hit a hook shot with about 30 seconds left in the game and one second left on the shot clock. Burns tied it six seconds later with a baseline drive.

Three timeouts later, Ballard had the ball under the basket and passed in to Martin, who drove the lane for the winner.

“Lately I haven’t been shooting well from the outside so I thought if I got the ball I would just drive and hope for some contact,” she said. “I wanted to get to the free-throw line.”

MMA coach Craig Dagan said the Mariners were expecting the Eagles to run screens for Gracie or center Annie McIntosh, but they weren’t expecting Martin to get the ball.

“They ran a nice play, they executed real well, and bottom line they made one more big play than we did,” Dagan said. “I’m proud of our kids’ effort and the way we played this basketball game. Husson was just one play better tonight.”

Martin finished with 12 points, hitting all 10 of her free-throw attempts. The Eagles were 30 for 38 (78.9 percent) from the free-throw line.

Murray made all six of her free-throw tries, including the two shots Husson was awarded after Dagan was issued a technical foul. The free throws gave Husson a 68-67 lead, one of seven lead changes in the final 13 minutes. The Eagles scored 10 unanswered points in a four- minute stretch for a 63-59 edge.

Burns led the Mariners with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Shelley Gott, who scored 14 points in the first half on 6-for-10 shooting, added 18.

The Mariners jumped out to an 18-8 lead six minutes into the first half and went on to shoot 61.5 percent from the field before halftime, but the Eagles got back into the game with 3-pointers from Gracie and Murray and a Jodie Merchant jumper that cut the lead to four points. Husson kept pace at the free-throw line, going 9 for 12 after Merchant’s basket.

Husson’s Stephanie Noyes made two free throws to tie it at 30-30, and after MMA regained a 2-point lead Murray hit another 3-pointer and Martin made two free throws as Husson went ahead 35-32 for their first lead and also went up 38-35 with 4:10 left.

But the Mariners responded later with a 7-0 run and made it 45-42 at halftime.

“They came out on fire, and we didn’t hit our shots, so we were just hoping when they came out in the second half they would slow down a little bit,” Murray said.

Husson put five players into double digits for scoring. Merchant and Murray led the way with 15 points apiece, while Noyes and Gracie each chipped in with 11.

EAGLES 78, MARINERS 76

Maine Maritime (10-2) Husson (7-7)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Grant 2 5 2 2 7 Martin 1 7 10 10 12

Burns 6 10 15 21 29 Ballard 2 7 5

Gott 7 15 2 3 18 Murray 3 8 6 15

Hayden 3 4 0 0 6 Noyes 3 6 11

Freeman 1 3 0 0 3 Gracie 4 7 11

Moore 0 0 0 0 0 Hartshorn 1 2

Leeman 0 0 0 0 0 Merchant 5 15

Marshall 2 2 0 0 4 McIntosh 1 12 5 8 7

Clapham 1 1 0 0 2 McIntyre 0 0

Knights 2 6 3 5 7

Parker 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 24 46 22 31 76 20 57 30 38 78

Maine Maritime 45 76

Husson 42 78

3-pt. goals – Maine Maritime (6-14): Burns 2-3, Gott 2-4, Grant 1-4, Freeman 1-1, Knights 0-2; Husson (8-20): Murray 3-8, Merchant 2-3, Gracie 2-4, Ballard 1-3, Martin 0-1, McIntosh 0-1

Attendance: 300 (est.)

Correction: A shorter version of this story ran on page D3 in the State edition.

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