NORTHFIELD, Vt. â€" Sophomore forward Kyle Fredette (Wallingford, VT) enjoyed a successful return to his native state by scoring 11 points to lead the Western New England College men’s basketball team to a 53-36 win over Norwich University Tuesday night (Nov. 28) in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener for both squads.

Fredette, who played his high school hoops at Mill River Union High School in North Clarendon, made 5-of-9 shots from the floor and had four rebounds.

Senior center Malik Champlain (Norwich, CT) contributed 10 points and six rebounds for the Golden Bears who won their first contest of the season in four outings.

Junior forward Jim Bayne (Bristol, CT) scored only six points, but pulled down a game high 17 rebounds.

Western New England College opened the game with a 20-4 run and led 26-11 at half-time as the Cadets made only five baskets while shooting 16% from the field.

The Golden Bears led by as many as 21 points in the second stanza and Norwich (1-3) got no closer than 15 points. The Cadets had a tough night from the field making only 23.3% of their shots.