After a back-and-forth 2nd half that saw five lead changes and five ties, the Nor'easters (1-6, 1-1 CCC) moved in front for good with 3:19 left (62-60).

Thompson buried a jumper from the left side with 38 seconds remaining to make the cushion four, however, with 20 seconds on the clock, Golden Bears senior Nick DeFeo brought it back within two (64-62).

A UNE turnover gave Western New England a look to tie with 10 ticks left, but the mid-range attempt did not fall. Big Blue first-year Justin Pollard sank two free throws moments later to seal it.

Coming out of a 32-32 halftime break, the difference was no more than four points either way for the entire closing period.

Thompson hit five treys on the day for the Nor'easters, and received strong support from senior Joshua Butler with 13 points and 13 caroms. Pollard totaled 10 points, including eight in the 1st half, to go with three steals.

For the Golden Bears, DeFeo dropped in six three-pointers on the way to a game-high 22 points. Sophomore Zack Askew was one of three others reaching double figures for WNE with 13 points, and hauled in 15 rebounds as well. Junior Musa Elsir went for 11 points, and senior Dennis Rinaldi ended with 10.

The hosts held the edge for most of the opening frame. Following a long distance connection by Elsir, Pollard tallied five points in the middle of a 12-2 spurt that left UNE with its largest lead of 11 (26-15) in the latter stages of the half.

But Western New England responded with a 15-2 run of its own to momentarily take the lead inside the final minute of the stanza. A pair of triples from DeFeo capped the stretch, before Butler made two at the charity stripe for UNE to tie things after 20 minutes.

Big Blue has three weeks off before heading to Williamsport, Pa. for a two-day tournament beginning on December 30. The Nor'easters open against Lycoming College.

The Golden Bears (2-6, 0-2 CCC) get back to action on January 2 with a non-conference home match versus Western Connecticut State University.