SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 10, 2026) – The Western New England men's basketball team dropped a season-high 101 points in Saturday's Conference of New England game against the visiting Nor'easters from the University of New England, behind 20 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists from senior Luka Vlajkovic, helping the Golden Bears ease to a 101-75 victory. 

Records:

• Western New England: 9-4, 3-2 CNE
• University of New England: 6-8, 2-3 CNE

How it Happened:

First Half:

• Western New England earned a quick four points to open the game in what was a high-scoring contest from the start. Luka Vlajkovic got the game started with a layup while Nate Kasper picked up a bucket on a steal, putting the Golden Bears ahead 4-0 early. UNE responded with the next five, including a triple from Adam Lux. UNE would lead by as many as three in the opening five minutes of the game, thanks to a trio of free throws from Jayden Thornton to help UNE lead 13-10. 
• The Golden Bears got hot from the field, hitting back-to-back triples as Will Laplante III and Travis Mangual connected from the outside, while Avery Mickens and Justin Garretson all contributed with hoops on the run that gave the Golden Bears a 20-15 lead. The WNE lead grew to as many as 13 with 7:32 to play as the Golden Bears got hot from the field again. Vlajkovic and Matt Houde hit from the outside as the duo filled the stat sheet, giving Western New England a 30-17 lead. 
• Down the stretch, the Golden Bears hung onto the lead, leading by at least nine for the final three minutes of the opening half. The high-scoring half saw Western New England end with 51 points while the Nor'easters finished with a solid 41 points, as WNE took the ten-point lead into the locker room. 
• The Golden Bears shot 56.3% from the field and hit six triples in the opening half. UNE shot 41% from the field, hitting just three of their 14 three-point attempts.

Second Half:

• Avery Mickens opened the second half with a triple, but the Nor'easters answered with the next five points, not going away to WNE's quick Saturday afternoon offense. Following the quick five from the Nor'easters, Western New England connected on the next six points, four from Luka Vlajkovic and another bucket from Nate Kasper. The Golden Bears then hit a stretch of hitting three triples in a row, with Eddie McCoy,  Will Laplante III, and Mickens collecting points that shot Western New England's lead up to 19 points with 14:22 to play in the half. 
• The lead hung high for the Golden Bears and eclipsed 20 with 8:56 to play when Matt Houde hit from the outside, giving the Golden Bears an 80-59 lead. Western New England buried the Nor'easters following the run, not allowing UNE back into the game. 
• Back-to-back threes for WNE ended the afternoon for the University of New England as McCoy and Laplante both reached double figures, while Vlajkovic's career afternoon finished with 20 points, helping the Golden Bears take a Saturday afternoon victory. Down the final minutes of the game, WNE's Max Jones and Drezell Duffaut finished the scoring, helping Western New England eclipse the 100-point mark on the afternoon, giving the Golden Bears a 101-75 victory.  

Inside the Lines:

• Luka Vlajkovic was all over the stat sheet on Saturday, scoring 20 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and collecting nine assists, just one shy of a triple-double. The Golden Bear senior shot 8/8 from the field and picked up one steal overall. 
• Matt Houde picked up 15 points, five assists, and a steal for the Blue and Gold in the win. 
• Eddie McCoy came off the bench to splash 14 points, shooting 5/7 from the field and 4/6 from the outside while collecting three boards. 
• Will Laplante III finished the game with 15 points, hitting three triples in the win. 
• Western New England shot an unconscious 60% from the field in the win, going 15/28 from the outside. WNE shot 19/28 from two-point territory. 
• UNE was led by Jayden Thornton, who scored 16 points on 4/12 shooting. Adam Lux was also in double-figures with 15 points. 
• UNE shot just 36% from the field and made seven triples on 27 attempts. 
• This is the 14^th straight win for Western New England over the Nor'easters in the series. It is the first time since 2019 that the Golden Bears have hung over 100 on the Nor'easters. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Conference of New England action continues for the Golden Bears when they travel to Nichols College for a Wednesday night showdown in Dudley on January 14 at 7:30 PM.