NORTHFIELD, Vt. â€" The Western New England College men's basketball team used great defense down the stretch and kept its home playoff hopes alive with a key 65-55 victory over Norwich University on Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) game.

The Golden Bears improved their record to 12-10 overall and 10-5 in the GNAC after winning for the fourth time in their last five contests.

Sophomore guard Ryan Hernandez (Hampton Bays, NY) came off the bench to lead four players in double figures with 14 points. Senior guard Jon Godbout (Bristol, CT) added 13 points while junior center Malik Champlain (Norwich, CT) and freshman guard Matt Maynard (Paterson, NJ) each had 11 points.

It was close game until the end with the score tied 32-32 at halftime. Neither team led by more than three points until the 2:44 mark when WNEC went ahead 59-55. The Golden Bears held the Cadets scoreless for the last 3:24 of the game.

Western New England College helped itself by shooting a season best 89.5% from the foul line (17-for-19). The Golden Bears also swept the season series with Norwich after posting a 58-41 win on January 26 in Springfield.