Box Score WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (January 21, 2026) – The Western New England men's basketball team never held a lead on Wednesday night, trailing by as many as 23 in the second half, but managed to mount a comeback that would come up just short, falling on Wednesday night to the nation's top-ranked team in Division III, the Bantams of Trinity College, 75-64. 

Records:

• Western New England: 11-5
• No. 1 Trinity College: 17-0

How it Happened:

First Half:

• Looking for a quick start on offense to stay with the Division III's top team, Western New England's first field goal of the opening half didn't come until nearly five minutes into the start of the game. Luckily enough for the Golden Bears, Trinity started off rather slow, hitting just two field goals in the first five minutes themselves, but still took an early 9-2 lead on free throws that helped the Bantams grab the early lead.
• A rare triple from Nate Kasper was Western New England's first field goal with 15:06 to play in the half, keeping WNE close in the half. Kasper had all seven of WNE's points with under 11 minutes to play, with Trinity taking a 13-7 lead. The Bantams extended their lead to eight with a triple from Samuel Norris, but Travis Mangual got the next bucket for WNE, keeping the Golden Bears close. 
• At the midway point of the opening half, Eddie McCoy had the Golden Bears within five two separate times and scored six straight points for the Golden Bears with seven minutes remaining to get Western New England within three, 19-16. Trinity responded with a three from deep, reclaiming a comfortable edge. With 4:39 remaining, Trinity took their first double-digit lead of the night, feeding off a pair of triples, one from Henry Vetter and another from David Ayles, and led by as many as 13 with 3:16 remaining, 31-18. 
• Western New England's offense came alive for eight points in the final three minutes of the half while the WNE defense held the Bantams to four, getting back within single digits of the lead at the break. Avery Mickens caught fire for the Golden Bears, scoring WNE's final eight points of the half, including two field goals from the outside, getting the Golden Bears within nine at the break, 35-26. 
• The Golden Bears made just eight field goals in the opening half, three from deep, shooting 30% from the field. Trinity knocked down 11 field goals, three triples included, shooting 37% overall in the half. The Golden Bears were taken over on the glass as Trinity had the rebounding advantage, 27-13, including 13 offensive rebounds. 

Second Half:

• Mickens continued his scoring to open the second half, knocking down a pair of free throws to come up with ten points for the game. From there, Trinity went on a quick 6-0 run, extending their lead back to 13, forcing Western New England to use a timeout. Mickens had the first eight points overall for Western New England and 16 in a row for the Golden Bears, keeping the Blue and Gold around following his triple, as Trinity had a 46-34 lead.
• The Bantams started the first six minutes of the second half shooting 8/11 from the floor, scoring 19 points in all, and began pulling away from the Golden Bears. Trinity held a 19-point lead, 56-37, with under 14 minutes to play in the half as the Golden Bears would go cold from the floor again, shooting just 4/16 and 3/11 from the outside with ten minutes to play in the half. 
• With Trinity ahead by 21, Mickens brought the lead down by four after hitting from the outside and getting fouled, converting WNE's first four-point play of the season and collecting a career-high in points in the process. Travis Mangual hit a triple for the Golden Bears to bring WNE back within 16, 67-51, but the Bantams seemed to have every answer, every time.
• The Golden Bears found ten of the next 14 points to keep within striking distance, with the clock quickly becoming Western New England's enemy. Will Laplante III got on the board with a jumper to cut the Bantams lead to 15, 69-54, while Luke Vlajkovic hit his first triple of the night with 4:12 remaining, getting the Golden Bears' deficit down to 14 after Trinity hit a pair of free throws. Down the stretch, Western New England couldn't fully complete the comeback after being down by as many as 23 in the game, despite the efforts from Avery Mickens, who dropped 25 points in the game. Mickens and the Golden Bears fell by a final score of 75-64.  

Inside the Lines:

• Western New England first-year Avery Mickens led all scorers with 25 points, a career-high, shooting 8/15 from the field, going 5/11 from the outside. Mickens also picked up four rebounds, an assist, and two steals to fill the stat sheet.
• Travis Mangual went for 11 points for the Golden Bears, shooting 4/7 from the field, grabbing five rebounds and a steal in the game. 
• After being down by 23 points at one point in the second half, Western New England battled back late in the second half before running out of time to complete the full comeback.
• The Golden Bears shot just 36% from the field in the second half, going 12/33 overall. Half of the field goals made came from distance for the Golden Bears. Trinity was an efficient 50% from the floor in the second half, going 10/15 inside the arc. 
• For the game, Western New England shot 34% overall, shooting 9/30 from deep. WNE left eight points at the free throw line, shooting 15/23 overall. 
• WNE never held a lead in the game, with Trinity taking the opening bucket of the game and never losing their lead. 
• This is the fifth straight season in which the two teams have met, with the last meeting coming last season in the 2025 NCAA DIII Sweet-16 Round. Trinity won the national championship a season ago and has been ranked No. 1 in the D3hoops.com top 25 poll for seven straight weeks. The Golden Bears are just 1-7 all-time against the Bantams, with their lone win coming on home floor in 2022.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears return to Conference of New England action this coming Saturday, January 25, at 3:00 PM, taking on Roger Williams University on the road.