GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine Department of Athletics will be hosting a halftime presentation and post-game reception to honor the 20th anniversary of the Huskies’ 1989 Men’s Basketball Final Four Team.

Former members of the team, friends and family are invited to join the USM Department of Athletics to recognize the achievements of the 1988-1989 team which finished third overall at the 1989 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. The department will make a special halftime presentation during the Huskies’ game against UMass Dartmouth on Saturday, January 31. The game is slated to tip off at 3 p.m. with the halftime to begin at approximately 3:30 p.m. Following the game, a reception will be held at the Alumni Reception Center in the Costello Sports Complex.

During the 1988-89 season, USM was led by first team NABC All-District and 1989 LEC Player of the Year honoree Jeff Bowers and first team all-LEC selection and LEC tournament Most Valuable Player Tim Bonsant. Former head coach Bob Brown, guided the 1989 Huskies’ to an impressive 24-7 overall record and an 8-2 mark in the Little East Conference capturing the Little East Conference’s regular season and conference tournament championship.

In the tournament championship, the Huskies defeated Plymouth State 84-62 to claim the conference crown and then earned three hard-fought victories in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament to advance to the Final Four. In the NCAA tournament, Southern Maine defeated North Adams State 88-80, Western Connecticut 90-88 and Franklin & Marshall 79-71.

Brown, who coached the Huskies for three seasons, compiled a 66-24 record (.733 winning percentage) before leaving USM for a position at Boston University. Brown is currently the head coach at Cheverus High School. Bowers and Bonsant are still among the statistical career leaders in USM men’s basketball history. Bowers finished his career ranked eighth in scoring average (17.2 ppg) and 15th in career points (1,257). Bonsant, who earned NABC first team honors and LEC Player of the Year honors in 1991, is fifth all-time in points scored (1,616), 13th in scoring average (16.3 ppg) and seventh in rebounds per game (8.7 rpg).

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