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            GORHAM, Maine -- Senior guard Corteze Isaac (Germantown, Md./Northwest) sank a jumper with 10 seconds remaining to deliver an 83-82 win to the University of Southern Maine Huskies over the Husson University Eagles in a non-conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at the Warren Hill Gymnasium.

            With the win, the Huskies improved to 8-4 overall.  The loss was the second straight for the Eagles who fell to 7-3.  It is the first time since the 2007-2008 season that the Huskies have defeated the Eagles.

            Southern Maine senior forward Otis Smith (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Ocoee) led the Huskies with a career-high 26 points on an outstanding 10-for-13 shooting performance.  Smith also grabbed seven rebounds and had three assists.  Isaac finished with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.  Junior forward Sean Bergeron (Kennebunk, Maine) chipped in 14 points, six rebounds and a team-high five assists.

            Senior guard Jay Uhrin (Winterport, Maine/Lincoln Academy) led all scorers with 27 points on a 9-for-18 mark from the field.  Senior forward Josh Jones (Jefferson, Maine/Erskine Academy) added 23 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and sophomore center Marc Zaharchuk (Richmond, Maine) tossed in 12 points.

            After taking a 47-45 lead into the halftime break thanks to an acrobatic, buzzer-beating layup from Smith, the Huskies came out on fire in the second half.  Over the opening five minutes, the Huskies went on a 13-3 run to grab a 60-48 lead with 15:02 on the clock.  Smith scored eight of the Huskies' 13 points in the run, which was capped by a three-pointer from freshman forward Kenny Sullivan (Laguna Beach, Calif.). 

            The Huskies held a double-digit advantage (62-51) with 13:16 to play before Uhrin scored six straight points to pull the Eagles to within five (62-57) with 11:47 to play.  The teams traded small three-to-four point runs over the next eight minutes, before a three-pointer from Husson junior guard Brad Libby (Brewer, Maine) pulled the Eagles to within two, 79-77, with 3:51 on the clock.

            One of two free throws by Uhrin and a layup from Jones, combined with two USM turnovers and a missed field goal attempt over the next four plays, gave the Eagles a 80-79 lead with 2:32 remaining – the first Eagle lead since early in the first half. 

            Bergeron regained the USM lead, 81-80 (1:32) with a driving layup before Husson freshman guard Luis Medina (Hartford, Conn./Lee Academy Prep) returned the favor a layup with 1:09 to play.  Turnovers on both sides gave USM the ball with 10 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Isaac to drill the eventual game-winner as the Huskies were able to make a defensive stand in the final seconds.

            Southern Maine hosts the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Saturday (3:00 p.m.).  Husson hosts Colby College on Thursday (7:00 p.m.).

-cac-