SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 12, 2025) – The Western New England men's basketball team held the Judges of Brandeis University to just 38% shooting on Wednesday night in a non-conference contest, defeating Brandeis by a final score of 64-57, avenging last season's road defeat. 

Records:

• Western New England: 2-0
• Brandeis University: 0-2

How it Happened:

First Half:

• Brandeis had the first five points of the night as JJ Hayes opened the game with a layup, followed by a triple from Ali Kaan Bek to put the Judges in front early. Cody Palazessi and Zein Wahdan then scored the first four points for the Golden Bears to get the blue and gold scoring. The two teams exchanged eight straight scoring plays, capped off by a three from Brandeis' Elias Rodl, giving the visitors a four-point lead with still 15 minutes to play in the opening half. 
• Western New England tied the game at 12 following more offensive production from Palazzesi and Wahdan. Jason Britschge gave the Golden Bears their first lead of the game after hitting a free throw with 12:19 to play, seeing the lead move to 13-12. In what looked to be a high-scoring game early quickly fell off, as the two teams settled in on defense and caused havoc on one another, as just 27 points were scored combined between the two teams through the midway point of the half. 
• The teams bounced from score to score heading into the final four minutes of the half when the Golden Bears got hot from the floor as Palazzesi, Wahdan, Luka Vlajkovic and Travis Mangual contributed to a 10-0 run and a 12-2 run to close out the first half, seeing Brandeis' 22-21 lead with five minutes left turn into a 33-24 Western New England lead at the break. Brandeis shot just 9/29 from the field in the opening half while WNE turned it on late, shooting 45% overall, including 15/23 inside two-point land. 

Second Half:

• The duo of Cody Palazzesi and Zein Wahdan continued their offensive outbursts while Luka Vlajkovic was all over the boards on Wednesday night to help get the Golden Bears up the floor.  WNE's lead was in double-digits early in the second quarter before Brandeis went on a run, seeing Dillon Gur play with four fouls, yet be effective on the offensive end for the Judges to get the visitors within six, 41-35, with 13:11 remaining in the second half. 
• Western New England's lead was down to four following an and-one from Matthew Cadogan with just over ten minutes remaining. A big three-point shot from Palazzesi put WNE up seven with 10:01 left to play in the half. Brandeis answered with back-to-back triples to trail by just one with now 6:07 remaining in the game. 
• The Golden Bears never lost their lead, getting important jumpers inside the key from Matt Houde and Luka Vlajkovic while a Palazzesi hit from just inside the arc gave WNE a 57-52 lead with 3:55 to play. With 2:26 remaining, Brandeis tied the game at 57, which would be the final points of the night for Brandeis as Western New England closed the game on a 7-0 run to wrap up the victory as Houde and Vlajkovic finished the run for the Golden Bears, who came out with a 64-57 victory.

Inside the Lines:

• Cody Palazessi led all scorers on Wednesday, dropping 21 points on nine field goals made, grabbing six rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and an assist in the win. 
• Luka Vlajkovic picked up his second double-double of his WNE career, first of the season, picking up 14 points and ten rebounds in the win. 
• WNE ended the night shooting 43% from the field. WNE made just one three all night and was 11/20 from the free throw line, but the defense held up on the opposite end of the floor, holding Brandeis to 38% shooting, including 31% in the opening half. 
• The lead changed seven times in the game and was tied five times. 
• Brandeis turned the ball over 18 times and went to the free-throw line just five times. 

Coach's Corner:

Coach's Corner:

Head coach Colin Tabb was asked about what the team did differently after Brandeis started to make a comeback in the second half. "I thought we probably got a little bit frustrated with some of our possessions on the offensive end, just having some empty possessions where we maybe ran some really good stuff and miss a good look or a good opportunity at the rim or could not convert at the line. That may have carried over a little bit to our defensive end, where we had some breakdowns… I thought we weren't in the proper position off the ball, and some of those things snowballed and allowed them to get some good looks. They got some guys that can really shoot and make some plays, so it was not a team that you can have a big margin of error. They are gonna make you pay when you make mistakes," Tabb noted. Then, he was asked about Vlajkovic's double-double and what he liked about the performance from him. He was one of those ones who I thought probably had some frustration, especially from the free-throw line. It started early, and it kind of carried to the end, and they were really physical with him. I thought he continued to battle, continued to look for his spots, and I thought he made two face-up 15-footers that were square-up jab shots. I thought they showed his confidence and showed that he was willing to take those shots down the stretch and I thought that was a really good sign, even thought he was battling some stuff. He knew that we needed him to make those shots. I was happy with how (Luka) played and his confidence out there." Finally, Tabb was asked about the matchup with a tough Keene State College opponent on Saturday and what it is going to take to get the win. "I think it's another game that is gonna be a really tough test for us. They're gonna be a little bit different, in the sense that they are probably going to be smaller, quicker, more athletic, and will probably hound, probably press, try to speed us up. I think we might have a decent advantage inside, but it's going to be their first home game. They always get good crowds, so I think composure is going to be really important and taking care of the ball, not getting too high or too low. We need to take advantage of our strengths, most likely inside, and play smart basketball. Going to be a tough test for sure."

Luka Vlajkovic was interviewed after the double-double performance and was first asked about what he liked from the team. "Late down the stretch, a couple calls didn't go our way, but we stayed composed. We had the next-play mentality, and when we needed stops, we got them. Eddie McCoy had a really important steal late in the stretch, I think a minute left or something, that stole us the game. Our defensive composure down the stretch was really important, we stayed connected, really vocal, and we talking. (The game) was very physical and (Brandeis) were a very good team, but I loved the defensive composure down the stretch," Vlajkovic mentioned. Then, when asked what he liked from his own game after the 14-10 performance, Vlajkovic answered with, "I was just trying to play through the offense, trying to get guys involved, and when I need to shoot it, I'll shoot it, but I wasn't trying to force anything."

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears play their first road game of the season, heading to Keene State College on Saturday, November 15, for a 12:00 PM tip.