WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Graduate student forward Jaheim Young (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and classmate guard Alfonzo Stokes (Bloomfield, Conn.) tallied 21 and 20 points, respectively, to propel the Western Connecticut State University men's basketball team to its fourth straight win following an 86-65 victory over cross-state archrival Eastern Connecticut State University in a Little East Conference affair on Wednesday evening at Geissler Gymnasium. 

Stokes added a game-high seven rebounds, while junior forward Jourdan Belcher (Elmsford, N.Y.) recorded a game-high five steals for the visitors. 

Jeremiah Graham, Dominick Dao and Ty Calloway paced the cold-shooting Warriors with 12 points apiece. 

After shooting 35 percent in the first half, the Wolves got red-hot in the second, connecting on a blistering 65 percent (17-of-26) clip which included 7-of-9 from three-point territory. They also nailed 82 percent (18-of-22) of their shots from the free throw line for the game. Eastern hit for 38 percent of its field goal attempts. The winners turned up the defensive intensity, forcing 26 turnovers while committing just 15. Much of the Wolves scoring came in the paint as they racked up 44 interior points. The Warriors came away with only 10.

Graham got things started with the first bucket of the game for the hosts. It would be their only lead of the contest. WestConn answered with a spurt to seize a 13-5 lead when junior guard Keeshawn Jones (Middletown, N.Y.) sank a jumper from the elbow. Eastern trimmed the deficit to 22-20 when Dao drained the second of two from the charity stripe. However, the Wolves responded with yet another flurry. This time a 16-7 run would give them a 38-27 lead at halftime.

The visitors erupted in the second stanza. Junior guard Malik Cole (Brooklyn, N.Y.) capped the barrage with a pair of free throws to round out a 26-9 run. Stokes gave the Wolves its largest lead of the game at 29 when he knocked down a trifecta with 2:23 remaining. The Warriors would not recover.

With the win, the Wolves improved to 17-4 overall and 10-2 in league play, while Eastern fell to 4-17 and 1-11. WestConn will look to keep things rolling when they square up against visiting LEC foe Southern Maine on Saturday at 3 p.m.