BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England separated from a slim 2nd-half cushion with a 33-17 stretch, on the way to a 98-86 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball win against Gordon College on Wednesday night (Jan. 22) at the Harold Alfond Forum.

With the result, the Nor'easters improve to 9-8 overall and the Fighting Scots slip back to 8-8. Both squads are now 3-5 in conference outings at the midway mark of the schedule.

Siddiq Canty topped UNE with 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting from the floor, which was highlighted by 5-of-6 accuracy from long distance. He also grabbed six rebounds, five steals, and two blocks. Avery DeBrito contributed 23 points, 14 caroms, and eight assists, while Alex Kravchuk and Jackson McCoy went for 20 and 11 points, respectively.

The Nor'easters, who had a 45-38 edge on the glass, shot 50.7 percent from the field in the contest and knocked down 12-of-26 from three-point land.

Gordon's Eric Demers paced all players with 37 points, which included 17-of-19 at the charity stripe. Parker Omslaer totaled 14 points and Garrett Sattazahn had nine more. AJ Terry secured a team-best eight boards.

UNE constructed a 33-21 cushion in the opening period, only to see 11 from Demers spark a 19-4 run that flipped things to 40-37 in favor of the Scots. However, a pair of free throws and a last-second layup by Drake Gavin had the Nor'easters back on top for good (41-40) at the break.

After seven straight by Gordon made it 53-52, UNE used the ensuing eight minutes to surge ahead. Canty tossed in 13 and the Nor'easters hit 12-of-17 attempts as the margin swelled to 86-69 with 6:57 remaining. The gap stayed in double digits through the finish.