BANGOR, Maine — Warren Caruso has achieved 400 career coaching victories by setting high expectations for his program.
So when a handful of players failed to meet undisclosed pregame responsibilities, they found themselves on the bench for a good portion of Saturday’s basketball game against Maine Maritime Academy of Castine.
The 23rd-ranked Eagles responded, receiving contributions from 13 different players to pull away for a 78-64 North Atlantic Conference men’s victory over a well-schooled Mariners squad at Newman Gymnasium.
The verdict was the 400th of Caruso’s 20-plus-year career as Husson’s head coach and extended his career record to 400-185 (.684). It also kept Husson (9-2, 5-0 NAC) atop the league standings.
“It’s a program accomplishment,” Caruso said. “I say all the time that no one person in the program’s more important than the others. That starts with me and goes right down through our coaching staff and our players. It takes a lot of pieces of the puzzle to be successful and I’m one of those pieces.”
Some of Husson’s key “pieces,” including Raheem Anderson, Jacob Moore, Matt Talbot and Mitch Worcester, spent much or all of the first half watching from the bench.
“In our pregame, we had some guys that weren’t as responsible as we’d like to have them be and we had to make an adjustment in the lineup,” Caruso said, without naming them, and pointing to his team’s versatility.
“Everyone that stepped on the floor gave us a little something,” he added.
Trevon Butler was the catalyst for Husson with 16 points, and eight rebounds. He went 8-for-8 from the foul line, where the Eagles made 23 of 27 attempts.
Talbot came off the bench in the second half to score 18 points, Eli Itkin tossed in 13 and Aaron Willis provided 10 points, seven assists, three steals and six rebounds.
Maine Maritime Academy (1-10, 0-5 NAC), under first-year head coach David Muchnick, turned in a strong performance. The Mariners executed their half-court offense well and were solid on defense much of the way.
However, Husson seemed to wear MMA down and won the battle down low, claiming a 41-28 rebounding edge.
Nick Holt of Ellsworth poured in a game-high 21 points behind five 3-pointers to propel the Mariners. Brendan Newcomb of Holden and Tyler Thayer of Hermon each tallied 10 points while Dylan Stevens netted nine points and Dylan Price added seven points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Husson trailed 38-34 early in the second half, but generated some momentum with an 11-2 burst. Itkin opened it with a 3-pointer, then Stevens answered for MMA with a nifty reverse baseline layup.
Butler responded with a 16-footer from the baseline, then fed Conor Adams of Bangor for a fast-break layup. Butler drove in for a basket off a hustle offensive rebound by Itkin and Willis scored a layup off his own steal that put the Eagles on top 45-40 with 17:23 to play.
“That’s what (Caruso’s) been pushing for the last two weeks. Whoever’s running the point, get the ball and push it up, beat teams down the floor and just get back (on defense) before them,” Willis said.
The Mariners answered with a 7-0 run to retake the lead, but with all of its players available, Husson was able to tighten up its defense, hit the glass hard and create transition scoring chances.
Leading 64-62, the Eagles controlled play during the last 4:38. Husson went 10-for-12 from the foul line the rest of the way then outscored MMA 9-1 in the last 1:52.
“We got some stops and they had some misses and we got some rebounds that we converted at the other end,” Caruso said.
“It took us a little while to get over the hump, but I thought our guys responded well,” he added.
The Mariners surged into the locker room with a 36-34 halftime lead after Price drove the length of the court for a layup at the buzzer.
MMA built its first-half success around gritty defense, mostly in a 1-2-2 zone, and excellent execution at the offensive end.
The visitors ended the half on a 9-2 run that covered the final 1:25. Tyler Gilson got it going with an offensive rebound basket, then MMA cashed in on a Husson turnover on Newcomb’s 3-pointer.
Willis countered for the Eagles with a 14-footer, but two Thayer free throws and Price’s last-second shot provided the Mariners with some momentum.
“I thought MMA played very well, got off to a good start,” Caruso said. “They got a pretty good feeling about themselves and we put ourselves in a tough spot.”