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BANGOR – Jason Harvey and Tyler Muzzy played Tuesday night as though it was the last game of their lives.
As a result, it wasn’t.
The senior standouts spearheaded a 26-7 scoring surge to open the second half, powering Husson College to a 93-71 North Atlantic Conference men’s basketball quarterfinal victory over Castleton State at Newman Gymnasium.
Harvey poured in 18 of his game-high 29 points during the first 9 1/2 minutes of the second half, helping Husson distance itself from the Spartans. The Bucksport native hit long jump shots, 3-pointers and an entertaining assortment of scoop shots and pump-fake layups for which Castleton State had no answers.
“Me and Tyler talked before the game and said this could be it, this could be our last game here,” Harvey said. “We definitely want to come out, step up and play to the high level that we can. We’re just trying to help the team win.”
Coach Warren Caruso’s Eagles (20-5), the top seed in the East Division, posted their 10th consecutive victory and earned the right to host the NAC semifinals and championship Friday and Saturday.
Castleton State (Vt.), the No. 4 seed in the NAC West, closed out the season at 15-10.
Harvey went 9-for-11 from the floor in the second half after a 3-for-8 start and also handed out five assists and made three steals.
“He’s a very talented player,” said Castleton coach Ted Shipley. “He’s a veteran player and he did all the things that a senior should do.”
Greenville’s Muzzy also drove to the basket with authority on several occasions and was a powerful presence inside. He finished with 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.
“When you talk about this time of the year, you need to have seniors that have gone through the battles and know what’s at stake and don’t want it to end,” Caruso said. “We’ve got two fourth-year seniors and they really kind of took over the game in the second half when the time called for it.”
Husson held a 49-45 halftime lead, but followed Harvey’s aggressive lead to open the second half. He connected for seven points during the Eagles’ initial 11-0 scoring run.
Muzzy got things rolling with a nifty finger roll, then Harvey made a 17-footer and buried a deep 3-pointer. As the Spartans’ one-and-done offensive struggles continued in the face of Husson’s man-to-man defense, Martin Cleveland of Portland (18 points, six rebounds, four blocked shots) tipped in a missed 3-pointer by Harvey.
Harvey then converted a spinning move from the paint as the Eagles increased their advantage to 60-45 at the 17:41 mark.
The Eagles, who had a deeper bench, also tightened up their defense, limiting CSC to 26 second-half points on 33 percent shooting.
“We were a little disappointed in ourselves, how we played defensively [in the first half],” Caruso said. “We got stops, so we were able to transition off misses and tips rather than off made baskets.”
Harvey eventually put it out of reach with a scoop shot and a conventional three-point play off a pump move in the paint that made it a 21-point ballgame with 14:53 to play.
“We needed a spark somewhere and I just decided I’d take it to the basket and if they stop me, I’ve got shooters on both sides and big guys underneath that are going to put the ball in,” Harvey said. “I ended up getting an open lane all the way to the hoop and getting some good looks.”
Scott Kissinger tossed in 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Husson, which shot 56 percent from the field and came away with a 38-31 rebounding edge.
Rich Reilly paced the Spartans with 24 points and five assists. Jeremy Jorgensen tallied 20 points and Josh Howe added 14.
EAGLES 93, SPARTANS 71
Castleton State (15-10) Husson (20-5)
Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP
Gregory 1 3 0 0 2 Bradford 2 5
Farley 1 7 1 2 3 Kissinger 4 10
Reilly 9 20 2 3 24 Muzzy 9 12 20
Jorgensen 9 20 2 2 20 Clevelnd 9 16 0 0 18
Tomaino 0 0 0 0 0 Harvey 12 19 29
Lawes 1 1 0 0 2 Figueroa 0 0
Cayea 2 9 0 0 4 Meehan 0 1 0
Murphy 0 0 0 0 0 Lee 3 6 8
Jennings 1 1 0 0 2 MacKnzie 0 1
Howe 6 8 0 0 14 Henry 1 1 0 2
Briggs 0 1 0 0 0
Totals 30 70 5 7 71 Totals 40 72 93
Castleton State 45 71
Husson 49 93
3-pt. goals – Castleton State (6-24): Reilly 4-11, Howe 2-4, Cayea 0-6, Farley 0-2, Gregory 0-1; Husson (7-23): Kissinger 2-4, Lee 2-5, Harvey 2-8, Bradford 1-4, Figueroa 0-2
Attendance: 650 (est.)
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