BIDDEFORD, Maine (January 20, 2024) – Western New England men's basketball head coach Colin Tabb has earned his 100^th victory at the helm of the Golden Bears after seeing four of his own score in double figures in Saturday afternoon's 84-64 victory over the hosting Nor'easters of the University of New England.
Records:

• Western New England: 13-4, 8-1 CCC
• University of New England: 5-12, 0-9 CCC

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears got off to the start they were looking for at the beginning of the game, cashing in on their first seven shots of the game to take an early lead. Mike Resnick would cash in three three-point shots to go a perfect 3/3 early, while Jake Harrison, Cody Palazzesi, and Tim Restall would all come away with early hoops for the Golden Bears. Meanwhile, the University of New England would see their own stretch run and not let the Golden Bears get too far ahead early. Adam Lux dialed up some early success for the Nor'easter's dropping a three just three minutes into the game to keep WNE's lead at bat. The Golden Bears would see eight straight points fall for them from there when Harrison, Resnick,and Gavin Greene collected points to go ahead 18=9. Adrian Torres would get WNE's lead within four for UNE with his first two points of the game, though Matt Houde would answer right away for the Golden Bears to take a 21-15 lead. WNE would take their first double-digit lead of the first half with 12:37 remaining when Houde got to the cup and scored with the right hand on a feed from Harrison, giving the Golden Bears a 26-15 lead with 12:37 still to play. WNE's double-digit lead would hold strong until the Nor'easters came away with a 9-0 run, capped off by an Adam Lux three-ball, to only put Western New England ahead by two with 5:51 to play in the half. Melvin Kolenovich would end that streak for UNE, connecting on two free throws to give the Golden Bears a 34-30 lead. UNE would get within two points of a tie, though they could never push themselves over the edge to tie or even take the lead in the game. Matt Houde would end the first half with 12 points and two assists. Western New England would end the first half on a 13-0 run in under three minutes to take back their double-digit lead and take a commanding 15-point lead, 49-34, at the break.

An evenly offensive second half would see Western New England open with the first points when Cody Palazzesi was fouled and dropped two free throws. The Nor'easters would look to get back into the game after Zach Boulay scored five quick points for the hosts on back-to-back possessions, seeing UNE trail by just 12 points with nearly an entire half to play. The Nor'easters would get within ten of the tie before Tim Restall came around with his fourth and fifth points of the night, dropping a layup for the Golden Bears while then following up that bucket with another layup of his own, giving Western New England a 55-41 lead. With 11:55 remaining in the second half, UNE would finally get rid of WNE's double-digit lead after Jayden Thornton connected on a jump shot, though it would quickly be answered by Matt Houde for the Golden Bears. Western New England would go on a quick 5-0 to extend their lead, taking a 64-51 lead after Jake Harrison and Tim Restall both found nylon. Down the stretch, Western New England would close out the Nor'easters, using late free throws and timely defense to slow the UNE offense and earn Western New England men's basketball head coach Colin Tabb his 100^th career victory with the program.

Inside the Lines:

• Four Golden Bears sat in double figures in the win, with Matt Houde (18 pts.), Jake Harrison (14 pts.), Cody Palazzesi (12 pts.), and Tim Restall (12 pts.), all anchored the Golden Bears to victory.
• WNE collected seven steals on 13 turnovers by UNE in the win, with Matt Houde grabbing three of those seven.
• The Golden Bears shot a tick under 50% from the field while sinking 22/27 free throws in the win.
• UNE made just 3/27 three-point shots in the game, shooting 11% from deep. The Golden Bears cashed in on eight threes in the win.
• Head Coach Colin Tabb is the fourth coach in Western New England men's basketball history to reach 100 career wins with the program.
• The Golden Bears grab their 11^th straight win over UNE overall and 19^th in 30 games since 2008.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears head home to host Roger Williams University on Tuesday, January 23, at 7:30 p.m. in an important CCC contest.