BANGOR – Steve Belmonte made a 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining to give the University of New England the lead for good, and the Nor’easters advanced to the Eastern College Athletic Conference New England Tournament championship game with a 77-72 win over Husson College Saturday afternoon at Newman Gymnasium.

Newbury College beat UNE 75-61 in Sunday’s final at Hellenic College in Brookline, Mass.

After a pair of free throws by Brock Bradford put the Eagles up 72-70 in Saturday’s game, Belmonte took a kick-out pass from Franco Foti and drilled a clutch 3-pointer from the right corner.

Neither team would score again until Chas Rentrope converted a breakaway lay-up with 18 seconds to play to give the Nor’easters a 75-72 lead.

The Eagles committed a turnover on their next possession, then Johnnie Jefferson pushed UNE’s lead 76-72 when he made 1 of 2 free throws.

Once again, Husson turned the ball over and was forced to foul with five seconds left and Rentrope made 1 of 2.

Isaac Stickney posted a double-double for UNE, scoring 22 points on 11-for-15 shooting to go with 10 rebounds. Jefferson finished with 15 points and six boards, and Simpson pitched in with 14 points (all after halftime), six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Belmonte added 10 points and six assists.

Bradford buried five shots from beyond the arc en route to 22 points for Husson. Scott Kissinger chipped in 15 points, 17 rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals.

Bradford made consecutive 3-pointers to put the Eagles up 55-50 midway through the second half. UNE then scored seven unanswered points – five by Jaykyri Simpson, including a conventional three-point play to cap the spurt. The lead would change hands six more time.

The Nor’easters shot 57.7 percent (15 of 26) from the field in the second half, compared to 38.7 percent (12 of 31) accuracy for the Eagles.

The contest featured 10 ties and 17 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than six points at any point. More than half of Husson’s 59 field goal attempts were 3-pointers.

In Sunday’s game, Newbury went on a 23-8 scoring run in the final nine minutes to earn the victory.

UNE had dropped behind by 10 (44-34) early in the second half, but rode Jefferson’s hot shooting to recover and eventually take the lead.

Tournament Most Outstanding Player Arch Mitchell had 20 points for Newbury. Javon Mathis contributed a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Jefferson scored a game-high 23 points to pace the Nor’easters. He was 9-for-16 from the floor, including a 5-for-11 performance from beyond the arc. Simpson had 16 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and three assists.

UNE finished its season with a 15-11 record and Newbury ended at 21-9.

NOR’EASTERS 77, EAGLES 72

U-New England (16-11) Husson (18-10)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Simpson 5 8 4 5 14 Meehan 0 5 2

Belmonte 4 10 0 0 10 Bradford 7 16 3 4 22

Rentrope 2 4 1 4 6 Kissinger 6 13 0 0 15

Jefferson 5 15 3 4 15 MacKnzie 5 10

Stickney 11 15 0 3 22 Lee 3 9 12

VnDeusn 0 0 0 0 0 Figueroa 0 0

Foti 2 3 0 1 4 Perras 2 5 0 5

Swrtznbrg 2 4 2 3 6 Henry 2 3 6

Ingerson 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 31 59 10 20 77 Totals 25 59 13 19 72

U-New England 40 77

Husson 35 72

3-pt. goals – U-New England (5-13): Belmonte 2-3, Jefferson 2-7, Rentrope 1-1, Simpson 0-2; Husson (9-30): Bradford 5-12, Kissinger 3-7, Perras 1-4, Henry 0-1 Meehan 0-2, Lee 0-4