CASTINE – It was a game, at least on paper, that had the makings of a blowout.

Instead, it was a vintage battle between two North Atlantic Conference rivals.

Julia Knights scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half, including a crucial three-point play with 1:00 remaining, to help Maine Maritime Academy grind out a 59-50 women’s basketball victory over Husson College at Smith Gymnasium.

“This team has to find its identity somewhere along the line and nights like this is where that happens,” said MMA coach Craig Dagan.

In the men’s game, Jordan Heath of Bangor popped in 24 points to lead Husson to an 86-55 victory over MMA.

The 5-1 Mariner women (3-0 in league play), survived a tough shooting night by attacking the basket hard in the second half. MMA outrebounded the Bangor-based Eagles (3-3, 2-1 NAC) 50-30 and limited a youthful Husson squad to 25 percent shooting on the night.

“The biggest difference in the game is the team that rebounded the ball, especially on a night like tonight when nobody’s shooting well,” Dagan said.

Kissy Walker’s Eagles hung with the Mariners throughout behind the determined play of veterans Carmen Ballard and Jodie Merchant.

“I was really pleased with their effort,” Walker said of the Eagles. “They played hard and they played tough and that’s all you can ask for.”

MMA, which had overcome a nine-point, second-half deficit, was clinging to a 49-48 lead when it finally took the upper hand.

Knights converted a driving move in the lane, was fouled and sank the free throw to make it 52-48 with a minute to play. The hosts then converted a Husson turnover into an Alyssa Burns layup to give MMA a six-point lead it would preserve on the foul line.

“We didn’t hit a lot of shots, but we found a way to get to the glass and get to the foul line,” said Knights, who grabbed eight rebounds. “Once we got on a run and got our momentum back, that helped out a lot.”

Shelly Gott was a force for MMA with 16 points, 15 rebounds and four steals.

“I thought Shelly and Julia really stepped up and made a lot of big plays down the stretch,” Dagan said.

Burns added seven points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals while Valerie Robitaille added five points and nine boards.

Ballard led Husson with 13 points and eight rebounds while Merchant posted nine points and Laura Archer eight points and three steals.

Husson came out strong to open the second half, putting together a 13-2 scoring surge to take a 36-27 lead.

MMA, which had suffered through an eight-minute scoring drought in the first half, came alive with a pivotal 13-3 surge in the second half. Knights scored six points, including a 3-pointer, as the Mariners regained the lead at 40-39 with 10:34 left.

In the men’s game, Husson got the confidence boost it was looking for, riding a superb second-half performance to the convincing victory.

Heath, a freshman out of Bangor High, scored six points to ignite an 11-0 scoring run to open the second half that put coach Warren Caruso’s ballclub (2-5) in command.

Aided by pressure defense, the Eagles put on an offensive clinic after intermission. They shot 46 percent from the floor, turning a close game into a blowout in a matter of six minutes.

“It’s amazing what happens when a couple shots fall,” Caruso said. “The confidence comes back and you kind of stop thinking about everything and just let things happen naturally.”

Heath demonstrated why he has earned a spot in Husson’s starting lineup. The heady guard played tenacious defense (four steals) and showed off his shooting prowess, hitting 5 of 9 from 3-point range.

“Jordan going off a little bit, we really haven’t had someone do that,” Caruso said. “I think that helped everyone else relax.”

Phil White turned in an efficient offensive effort for the Eagles, going 8-for-8 from the floor on his way to 20 points. Tyler Muzzy contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Jason Harvey chipped in with six points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals while providing tireless hustle on the defensive end for Husson.

Brandon Hall led the way for MMA with 16 points and six rebounds, while Ryan Yeo posed 11 points and five assists.

Leading 35-28, Husson emerged from the locker room at halftime and quickly put the game out of reach.

Heath drained a 3-pointer 11 seconds into the half and Scott Kissinger followed with another, extending the Eagles’ lead to 41-28 with 18:27 remaining. Heath then added a free throw and a layup off his own missed foul shot and White made a pretty reverse layup from the baseline to give Husson a 46-28 advantage.

“On offense we wanted to run the shot clock down, make them play a little bit more defense and get better shots,” Heath said. “We were rushing a little bit in the first half.”

The Eagles played unselfishly on offense, making good decisions with passes that led to a lot of open shots. Husson also seemed to wear down MMA with its superior depth.

The Eagles came away with a 43-24 rebounding edge and forced several of the Mariners’ 23 turnovers.

MMA was without starting point guard Derek DiFrederico, who hurt his back in MMA’s Saturday game at Bowdoin and did not play.

MARINERS 59, EAGLES 50

Husson women (3-3) Maine Maritime (5-1)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Colgan 0 0 0 0 0 Moore 0 1 0

Boutaugh 0 0 0 0 0 Grant 1 4 4

Ballard 2 10 8 10 13 Leeman 0 1 0

Archer 2 3 2 2 8 Marshall 1 2

Merchant 2 9 4 4 9 Cloutier 1 2

Barden 1 2 0 0 2 Robitaille 2 5

Noyes 0 7 2 4 2 Burns 1 7 7

Monck 0 0 0 0 0 Johnson 1 4 3

Rollins 3 12 1 2 7 Gott 7 18 18

McIntosh 1 2 4 4 6 Hayden 0 0 0

Dow 1 3 1 2 3 Knights 5 8 7 18

Hall 0 0 0 0 0 Parker 0 0 0 0

Totals 12 48 22 28 50 19 55 16 24 59

Husson 23 50

Maine Maritime 25 59

3-pt. goals – Husson (4-16): Archer 2-3, Ballard 1-6, Merchant 1-2, Barden 0-1, Rollins 0-4; Maine Maritime (5-19): Gott 2-7, Johnson 1-3, Knights 1-3, Grant 1-3, Moore 0-1, Burns 0-1, Leeman 0-1

EAGLES 86, MARINERS 55

Husson (2-5) Maine Maritime (1-4)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Figueroa 1 4 5 6 7 Yeo 4 7 11

Berry 0 0 0 0 0 Stewart 2 5 9

Kissinger 2 4 0 1 5 Schmidt 3 5 8

Beauregard 2 5 0 0 5 Dunlap 0 5 0

Heath 8 14 3 4 24 McCorrison 0 2

Lee 0 2 0 0 0 Farrin 0 0 0 0

Muzzy 3 8 7 7 14 Haskell 2 7 7

Kane 0 0 0 0 0 Hall 8 15 0 16

Harvey 2 9 2 2 6 Oldham 1 3 2

White 8 8 4 4 20

Philbrick 0 0 2 2 2

Jennings 0 0 0 0 0

Henry 1 2 1 1 3

Leavitt 0 3 0 0 0

Totals 27 59 24 27 86 Totals 20 50 11 16 55

Husson 35 86

Maine Maritime 28 55

3-pt. goals – Husson (8-26): Figueroa 0-2, Kissinger 1-2, Beauregard 1-2, Heath 5-9, Lee 0-2, Muzzy 1-4, Harvey 0-3, Leavitt 0-2; Maine Maritime (4-9): Stewart 1-1, Schmidt 2-2, Dunlap 0-3, McCorrison 0-1, Haskell 1-2