BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Wentworth Institute of Technology saw its 34-point second-half lead fall into single digits before finishing off a 59-47 win over the University of New England in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball action Wednesday evening (Nov. 28) at the Harold Alfond Forum.

After opening the season with a pair of setbacks, the Leopards won their third straight to move above .500 to 3-2 (1-0 CCC). The Nor'easters drop to 1-5 (0-1 CCC) on the year.

Leading 37-16 following a UNE basket to begin the closing period, Wentworth reeled off 13 unanswered points to assume a 50-16 cushion with 15 minutes left to play. Senior Corey Therriault (Auburn, Maine) canned his only two treys of the game to start the spurt.

However, Big Blue responded with 29 of the ensuing 31 points on the board -- including a string of 26 in-a-row -- to trim the deficit to seven (52-45) inside the final three minutes. First-year reserve Mitch Loeman (Freeport, Maine) recorded all of his 10 points in the run, and was matched by junior Charles Fenner III (Bronx, N.Y.) with 10 of his own.

Therriault ended the scoring drought for the Leopards with a layup at the 2:09 mark, making the difference too much for UNE with the time remaining on the clock.

Therriault led the visitors with a 12 points and five rebounds, while senior Colin Johnson (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) came off the bench to contribute all 11 of his points in the first half. Junior Derek Mayo (Casco, Maine) added nine points, five caroms, and three steals for Wentworth, which shot an impressive 54 percent (15 of 28) before halftime and connected on 7-of-11 attempts from long range.

Fenner III paced all players with 15 points to go with four steals. After Loeman's 10 points and six rebounds in 16 minutes of action, UNE first-year Jesse Dykstra (Douglas, Mass.) chipped in with five points, 10 boards, five steals, and a pair of blocks.

The Leopards were clicking in the early-going, steadily constructing a 28-point lead (35-7) with less than five minutes left in the initial frame. WIT settled on a 37-14 edge at intermission, capitalizing on UNE turnovers for 16 points in the half.

Wentworth returns to Boston for its home-opener on Saturday against Eastern Nazarene College (3 p.m.), while the Nor'easters visit Salve Regina University for the same tip-off time.