SPRINGFIELD, Mass. â€" Junior forward Jim Bayne (Bristol, CT) scored 15 points and sophomore guard Matt Maynard (Paterson, NJ) added 10 points as the Western New England College men's basketball team posted a 56-47 victory over visiting Norwich University Saturday (Jan. 13) to remain undefeated in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).

The Golden Bears are now 8-5 after winning for the seventh time in their last eight outings and 5-0 in the conference.

Western New England College led 32-28 at half-time and by 11 at 43-32 following a free throw by sophomore forward Kyle Fredette (Wallingford, VT) with 11:21 left in the contest.

Senior guard Rene Cheatham (Cincinnati, OH) tallied nine straight points for the Cadets to get within his team within four at 45-41 with 6:20 remaining in the game. Junior guard Jerrold Williams (Norwalk, CT) then hit a three-pointer at the 4:34 mark to pull Norwich within three at 47-44.

Both teams had trouble scoring points down the stretch, but Bayne made at three-pointer and a pair of free throws in the final 1:28 to avoid the upset.

Williams finished with a game-high 17 points while Cheatham had 11 points and seven rebounds.

Junior guard Asif Abdul-Wadud (Springfield, MA) contributed eight points, four rebounds, and three steals for the Golden Bears. Senior center Deon Thomas (Albany, NY) had a strong game coming off the bench with six points and rebounds.

Norwich, which dropped a 53-36 decision to WNEC on November 28 in Northfield, Vermont, falls to 4-8 overall and 1-4 in the GNAC.