BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England opened the second half with a 14-2 run to break open a 31-all tie on its way to a 68-51 Commonwealth Coast Conference women's basketball win over Eastern Nazarene College Wednesday evening at James A. Beaudry Gymnasium.

The win makes it four straight and 11 out of 12 for the Nor'easters, who improve to 18-4 overall and maintain their first-place standing in the conference with a 13-2 mark. Eastern Nazarene stands at 10-12, 7-8 in CCC play. UNE -- ranked sixth in the opening NCAA Division III Northeast Region Poll released earlier in the day -- has now won eight consecutive meetings with the Lions.

Senior Kelley Paradis (Newport, Maine) led a balanced UNE scoring attack with a game-high 14 points. Paradis also contributed four steals and four assists. First-year Kelly Coleman (Portland, Conn.) came off the bench to convert 5 of 6 field goal attempts on her way to 13 points to go with four steals. Junior Liz LeBlanc (Jay, Maine) added 11 points and senior Margo Russell (Madison, Maine) scored 10 with five assists.

Junior Ace Carradine (Honolulu, Hawaii) was the lone Eastern Nazarene player in double figures with 11 points. Junior Shardae Brown (Waterbury, Conn.) scored eight points, while classmate Alexis Malloy (Washington, D.C.) grabbed 11 rebounds to lead all players.

After a sluggish first half, the Nor'easters outscored ENC 24-8 over the opening 11 minutes of the final frame to pull away. Russell scored eight points during the run, including a layup to cap the surge and make the score 55-39. The Lions would get no closer the rest of the way.

UNE shot 48.3 percent (14 of 29) after halftime and forced 16 Eastern Nazarene turnovers. The Lions converted seven field goals in just 19 attempts in the final frame.

For the contest, Big Blue recorded 20 assists on its 25 field goals while accumulating 19 steals, including five by senior Kari Pelletier (South Paris, Maine). The Nor'easters also received 27 points from their reserves.

Both teams return to play Saturday. The Nor'easters host Nichols College at 1 p.m., and the Lions entertain Western New England University with an identical start time.