Box Score NEWPORT, R.I.--The Western New England University men's basketball team chalked up one of its biggest wins so far this season on Thursday evening. And the Golden Bears did it while coming from behind in a 63-58 road victory over Salve Regina University at the Rodgers Recreation Center.

Western New England (4-11 overall, 2-7 CCC) earned its first Commonwealth Coast Conference triumph on the road and knocked Salve (11-5) out of second-place in the CCC standings with a 6-3 league mark. The Golden Bears two weeks ago downed Eastern Nazarene and now the Seahawks--two teams that have combined for 21 wins in 30 starts to date.

Western New England senior Dennis Rinaldi scored a team-high 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, followed by junior Musa Elsir and senior Nick DeFeo with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Patrick Dinneen scored 22 points and Jeff Bielefeld added 13 as Salve jumped out to a 43-31 lead at halftime.

The Golden Bears, however, used a suffocating defense in the second half that limited the Seahawks to 25.0 percent (6-24) field goal shooting and they outrebounded the hosts 23-15 over the final 20 minutes.

Western New England began the second half on a 10-0 run, bookended by a pair of DeFeo treys, to pull within 43-41 just 3 minutes and 5 seconds in. The Golden Bears continued their fast streak that yielded a 53-47 lead with 9:34 left in the game thanks to a 22-4 run. After sophomore Zack Askew scored on lay-in to tie the score 45-all, Elsir connected on a jumper to put WNE ahead to stay.

Every time Salve got to within a possession of tying the game, WNE had an answer to keep the Seahawks at bay. Rinaldi converted a three-point play with 38 seconds remaining to seal the victory as the Golden Bears led 62-54--their biggest lead of the night.

For the contest, WNE shot 45.6 percent (26-57) from the field while holding Salve to 37.5 (21-56).

Rinaldi also led the team with eight rebounds, followed by senior Ryan Mickiewicz with seven and DeFeo and Askew with five apiece. Bielefeld and Dinneen had nine and eight, respectively, to pace Salve, which enjoyed a 43-36 edge on the glass.

The Golden Bears will host the University of New England in another CCC encounter at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Alumni Healthful Living Center, as part of the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers game. Western New England will be seeking donations and raising awareness to help fight cancer.