SPRINGFIELD, Mass. â€" March Madness will continue for the Western New England College men’s basketball team for one more game.

Junior forward Jim Bayne (Bristol, CT) scored a game high 21 points and senior center Deon Thomas (Albany, NY) added a double double with 12 points and a game high 11 rebounds in a reserve role as the top-seeded Golden Bears posted a 74-57 victory over fourth-seeded Endicott College in a semifinal round game of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Championship Friday night (Mar. 2) at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Western New England College (21-8) will host the winner of the sixth-seeded Curry vs. second-seeded St. Joseph’s (Maine) game at 3:00 p.m. Sunday. That semifinal contest was postponed tonight because of snow in Maine and will be held on Saturday.

Junior guard Ryan Hernandez (Hampton Bays, NY) contributed 10 points and had a pair of three-pointers that tied the school record with 74 in a season (previously set by Keith Doucette in 1989-90). Junior guard Matt Maynard (Paterson, NJ) chipped-in with nine points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Endicott jumped to an early 18-12 lead before Western New England College came back to take a 35-28 advantage at half-time.

The Gulls (16-12) got within 39-35 but the Golden Bears used a 14-5 run capped by a basket by sophomore forward Kyle Fredette (Wallingford, VT) for a 53-40 margin with 7:56 remaining in the contest. The home team then pulled away down the stretch.

Freshman guard Graham Whitelaw (Kennebunk, ME) was the only player scoring in double figures for the visitors with 10 points. Senior center Tom Connor (Kittery, ME) came off the bench and made all four shots (including a three-pointer) for nine points to go along with seven rebounds. Senior forward Nemanja Marinkovic (Belgrade, Serbia) bounced back from an injury in the opening half to finish with eight points and 10 rebounds.

This was the first meeting ever between the schools in men's basketball, but not the last. Western New England College will play Endicott on a regular basis when the Golden Bears join the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) next season.