SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 3, 2025) – The Western New England men's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the season, falling just short to the Hawks of the University of Hartford on Wednesday night inside the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center, dropping a 76-74 Conference of New England (CNE) contest. 

Records:

• Western New England: 6-1, 1-1 CNE
• University of Hartford: 5-1, 1-0 CNE

How it Happened:

First Half:

• A combined 23 points were scored in the first five minutes of the game, 12 of those belonging to the visitors, who got off to a quick start. WNE splashed a pair of triples for their first two buckets of the game, coming from Eddie McCoy and Max Jones, while Travis Mangual got to the rim and scored to put the blue and gold ahead 8-7. Hartford's Kyle Winters had the next five for the visitors, scoring a triple and a jumper to give the Hawks a 12-8 lead.
• Hartford's Drew Stack had his best offensive game of the season thus far, hitting from the outside to give the Hawks a 15-9 lead. WNE then scored the next five, with Zein Wahdan hitting a layup plus a foul shot while Avery Mickens cashed in at the line to put the Golden Bears down by just one, 15-14, with 12:32 remaining. The Hawks had the next eight, with Stack hitting again from the outside, which helped give Hartford a nine-point lead with 10:54 remaining in the half. 
• Western New England continued to battle back, getting a pair of triples from Matt Houde and Mickens, getting the Golden Bears back within three. In a game full of runs, Hartford pulled out the next five, while WNE had the next four, trailing 28-24 with 7:57 to go in the opening half. WNE fought back to take its first lead of the game when Nate Kasper made a free throw with 4:27 remaining, leading 33-32. The Hawks hit a jumper right before the end of the first half that gave the visitors a two-point lead, 39-37. 
• Hartford shot an efficient 15/28 from the floor, including 6/11 from deep. The Golden Bears were just 12/28 from the floor and made nine of their 15 free throws, to their demise. 

Second Half:

• After the Hawks took a quick five-point lead to begin the opening three minutes of the second half, WNE answered with the next five to tie the game at 44. Travis Mangual and Luka Vlajkovic aided the Golden Bears on the run. Hartford responded, as they did all night, with the next five points, seeing Drew Stack continue to hurt the Golden Bears in the game, which gave the Hawks a 49-44 lead with 14 minutes remaining in the game.
• Hartford's six-point lead was erased following back-to-back threes from Avery Mickens, who continued to be a sharpshooter for the Golden Bears. Hartford's lead grew to as many as ten with 5:57 to play in the game as the Hawks got hot from the field at the right time, seeing Stack and Kent Olewiler help Hartford lead 66-56. 
• The Hawks held a lead of 11 with 4:10 left, with Stack hitting from the outside again. The Golden Bears then had the next five, with Eddie McCoy getting to the rim while Matt Houde hit from the outside, getting Western New England within six. Hartford's next possession was another triple from Drew Stack, giving the Hawks a 76-67 advantage. 
• The Golden Bears produced an exciting late comeback, Luka Vlajkovic hitting a triple with 1:48 left, and Nate Kasper picking up a quick four points following turnovers from the Hawks as Western New England trailed 76-74 with 46 seconds to play in the game. WNE turned the ball over with seven seconds left following a defensive rebound, but saw Hartford miss a free throw on a one-and-one chance, grabbing the defensive board with the clock winding down, but the Hartford defense was too much on the final possession of the game, not allowing a shot off before the buzzer sounded, as Hartford took down the Golden Bears, the first team to do so this season, winning 76-74. 

Inside the Lines:

• Hartford's Drew Stack was impressive, shooting 10/12 from the floor, hitting seven of his nine triples, and picking up 30 points in the win. Stack finished the night with four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. 
• Luka Vlajkovic picked up 20 points and ten rebounds for the Golden Bears in the loss, adding five assists and a pair of steals. 
• Avery Mickens and Zein Wahdan were in double figures with 11 points each. Mickens was a perfect 3/3 from the outside. 
• Western New England shot 44% from the field and made eight threes. The Golden Bears left 11 points at the free-throw line, going 16/27 in the game. 
• Hartford shot 53% from the field in the game, hitting 12 triples and was 10/12 from the stripe.
• This is the first win for Hartford over Western New England since joining the CNE. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears look to rebound with a pair of games this weekend at the Ed Hockenbury Classic, hosted by Norwich University. WNE faces Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday, December 6, at 8:00 PM and plays in either the consolation or championship game on Sunday.