NORTHFIELD, Vt. (December 6, 2025) – The Western New England men's basketball team was handed its second straight loss of the season following its perfect 6-0 start, falling 74-56 to the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday night at the 2025 Ed Hockenbury Classic, hosted by Norwich University. 

Records:

• Western New England: 6-2
• Eastern Connecticut State University: 6-1

How it Happened:

First Half:

• Eastern Connecticut opened the game with a triple, while Western New England responded two minutes into the game when Eddie McCoy hit from distance. The two teams stayed tied into the first six minutes of the quarter as Matt Houde connected on back-to-back buckets while Avery Mickens gave the Blue and Gold their first lead with 13:46 remaining in the half, taking a 9-7 lead. 
• Western New England went on a 10-0 run to take a 13-7 lead early before Eastern Connecticut roared back with a pair of triples and eight straight overall, flipping WNE's six-point lead into a four-point lead of their own at the midway point of the half. Western New England hung in before the Warriors made another leap forward to take their largest lead of the game thus far with 7:51 remaining, 24-18.
• Nate Kasper got on the board to stop Eastern's run to get the Golden Bears back within four, but the Warriors then picked up the next seven to take their first double-digit lead of the game, 31-20. Eastern held its big lead at the half, as WNE was held to just 21 points overall. 
• WNE shot 29.6% from the field in the opening half and made just 3/8 free throws. Eastern shot 43% from the field and led for over 15 minutes of the opening half overall. 

Second Half:

• The Golden Bears did not have much of an answer for the Warriors in the second half, as Eastern Connecticut continued to shoot efficiently from the field and stop the usual dominant offense of the Golden Bears. WNE got within eight points five minutes into the half when Jason Britschge checked into the game. WNE hung around and got within seven off an Avery Mickens triple with 12:34 remaining. 
• Following the three, the Golden Bears saw Eastern build its lead back up, scoring eight in a row to take a 16-point lead, their largest of the game overall. WNE pulled back within 11 before another blow from the Warriors which gave them a 15-point lead with 6:47 left, leading 59-44. 
• WNE couldn't get much closer to the Warriors, as Eastern Connecticut closed out the game with its biggest lead of the game, defeating the Golden Bears by a final score of 74-56. Despite shooting 50% from the field in the half, the Golden Bears couldn't hold the Warriors down, as ECSU shot 54% overall in the half to secure the win. 

Inside the Lines:

• Both Eddie McCoy and Matt Houde produced 14 points each in the loss. 
• Overall, WNE shot 39.6% from the field while Eastern Connecticut shot 48.1%. 
• The Golden Bears continue to struggle from the free-throw line, though not much of a factor in the final score, shooting 9/18 overall. 
• The Golden Bears had the lead for just 2:16 in the game. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears meet the Bengals of the University of Maine Fort Kent on Sunday, December 7, at 1:00 PM in the consolation game of the Ed Hockenbury Classic.