SPRINGFIELD, Mass. â€" Junior forward Jim Bayne (Bristol, CT) poured in a game high 17 points and junior guard Ryan Hernandez (Hampton Bays, NY) added 14 points coming off the bench as the Western New England College men’s basketball team coasted to a 70-47 victory over Rivier College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference game Saturday (Feb. 3) at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

This was the sixth consecutive win for the Golden Bears (14-7) who remained in first place in the conference with an 11-2 mark. It also tied as the team's largest margin of victory following a 78-55 win over Suffolk on January 9. 

WNEC also avenged a 64-60 loss at Rivier back on January 15 in Nashua, New Hampshire and tied last year’s win total of 14 in the process.

Junior guard Asif Abdul- Wadud (Springfield, MA) also played a key role in the victory with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals. Senior center Deon Thomas (Albany, NY) contributed six points and five rebounds in a reserve role. Seniorcenter Malik Champlain (Norwich, CT) scored only five points, but he collected a game high eight rebounds and added a career high seven assists.

Western New England College jumped to an early 18-11 lead and held a commanding 41-19 advantage at intermission. The Golden Bears took their biggest lead at 48-22 following a basket by sophomore guard Matt Maynard (Paterson, NJ) with 16:38 left in the game.

Senior forward Chris Giordano (Medford, MA) led the Raiders with 10 points while junior forward Jeff Carpenter (Meredith, NH) had a strong outing with nine points and seven rebounds.

Rivier, which entered the game third in the league along with a three-game win streak, falls to 14-7 overall and 8-5 in the GNAC.

Western New England College had a season low eight turnovers and held a 46-31 edge in rebounding.

Before the game team members and the coaching staff participated in clinics during the annual Girls and Women in Sports Day event.