BIDDEFORD, Maine –  Senior Devin Thompson (Winthrop, Mass. scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half to lead the University of New England Nor'easters to an 88-77 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a non-conference men's basketball game Tuesday night at Harold Alfond Forum.

            Earning their second straight win, the Nor'easters improve to 2-1 early in the 2015-2016 season.  Southern Maine, coming off of a season-opening win over Maine Maritime Academy, falls to 1-1 with the loss.

            Thompson's game-high 22 points led five UNE players in double figures en route to the win. Junior CJ Autry (Standish, Maine/Bonny Eagle) added 19 points, while sophomore Gavin Dibble (Greenport, N.Y.) tossed in 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the bench.  Junior Jean-Luc Parker (Georgetown, Texas) chipped in with 13 points and freshman Ben Judson (Plaistow, N.H./St. John's Prep) had 10 points for UNE, which shot 43.3 percent (26-for-60) from the field and 41.4 percent (12-for-29) from three point range.

            The Huskies also had a well-balanced attack with four players in double figures led by junior Zach Leal (York, Maine) with 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals.  Leal was 6-for-9 from the field.  Senior Jose Novchanthavong (Westbrook, Maine) added 16 points, five rebounds and three assists and junior Atencio Martin (Kittery, Maine/Traip Academy) had 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds.  Senior guard Cole Libby (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle) scored 12 points and had five rebounds.

            In a closely played contest, the Huskies took a narrow 53-52 lead on a Libby three with 11:28 showing on the clock.  However, it was the last lead of the game for USM as Autry rattled off five unanswered points on a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to make it 57-53 in favor of UNE with 10:05 to play.

            Leal again tried to will the Huskies to rally making it a two possession game with an offensive rebound and the put back for a 77-71 score with 2:11 to go, but UNE closed out the game on the free throw line making all six of its attempts plus a layup from Parker for the 88-77 final.

            Following Autry's quick five points, UNE did not trail the rest of the contest. Southern Maine pulled to within a possession of UNE 62-59 on a pair of free throws from Leal, but it was as close as the Huskies would get the rest of the way as Thompson and Autry combined for eight unanswered points (five from Thompson) for a 70-59 lead with 5:34 remaining. 

Southern Maine remains on the road this weekend and will compete in the Rivier College Tip-Off Tournament. The Huskies will face Colby-Sawyer on Friday (8:00 p.m.). UNE travels to UMaine Farmington on Thursday (7:00 p.m.).

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