SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Senior forward Kyle Fredette (Wallingford, VT) is back at full strength following an injury and that's great news for the Western New England College men's basketball team.

Fredette scored a career high 27 points and pulled down a game high 14 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season as the Golden Bears kept their playoff hopes alive with an exciting 83-75 victory over scrappy Anna Maria Wednesday evening (Feb. 18) in the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Western New England College improved its overall record to 8-15 after winning for the fourth time in its last five outings. The Golden Bears evened their mark at 6-6 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) with one game left in the regular season. WNEC began the night tied with Curry for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Fredette injured an ankle against Nichols on January 29 and missed two games before returning to limited action scoring 15 points in three contests. He connected on 11-of-18 shots from the field, blocked five shots, and had two assists to thwart Anna Maria's comeback attempt.

Junior guard Paul Kennedy (Longmeadow, MA) also played a key role by scoring a career high 16 points in 19 minutes off the bench. He made 5-of-7 shots, including 4-of-6 three-pointers.

Western New England College started strong jumping to an early 14-4 lead before the AMCATS came back to trail by only four (41-37) at halftime.

Anna Maria took a one-point lead three times, the last coming at 48-47 on a basket by sophomore center Derek Johnson (Worcester, MA) with 15:56 left.

The Golden Bears ran off seven straight points for a 54-48 advantage following a free throw by junior forward Mike Booker (Springfield, MA) at the 13:54 mark.

The AMCATS got within one at 59-58 after sophomore guard Junior De La Hoz (Lawrence, MA) made a basket with 8:17 remaining. On the next possession, Kennedy was fouled after hitting a three-pointer and his rare four-point play gave the hosts a 63-58 edge with 7:59 left.

Anna Maria (6-18, 3-9 TCCC) didn't give up pulling within two (75-73) on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Chris Pinsonault (Marlboro, MA) with 2:25 remaining, but the Golden Bears scored the next eight points to seal the win.

Johnson led four AMC players in double figures with 25 points along with a team high seven rebounds while Pinsonault (who had tallied 65 points in his last two games) netted 14. Sophomore forward Tyler Washington (Milford, MA) added 11 points and six rebounds while De La Hoz finished with 10 points and three assists.

Western New England College finished with four players in double figures as junior guard Rick Johnson (Springfield, MA) and sophomore forward Brad Thomka (Springfield, MA) scored 14 and 10 points, respectively. Johnson also dished out five assists while Thomka grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots.

WNEC shot 51.9% from the field and held a 40-33 advantage off the glass.