BOSTON, Mass. (February 14, 2026) – The Western New England men's basketball team dropped 11 triples in Saturday's 80-48 victory over the Leopards of Wentworth Institute of Technology, seeing Luka Vlajkovic, Avery Mickens, and Matt Houde drop double figures in the win. 

Records:

• Western New England: 17-5, 11-2 CNE
• Wentworth Institute of Technology: 3-19, 3-12 CNE

How it Happened:

First Half:

• The Golden Bears opened the game on an 8-0 run, led by Avery Mickens hitting his opening two triples and getting to the rim for a pair to give Western New England the early lead in the game. The run continued for the Golden Bears five minutes into the game when Matt Houde connected from deep as the Golden Bears had the first 11 points in the game overall. 
• Wentworth's first field goal didn't come until the 11:24 mark in the opening half when Jayden Williams hit from the outside. Western New England held a double-digit lead past the midway point of the opening half, seeing Wentworth come away with just four points in ten minutes of action. Jason Britschge and Luka Vlajkovic added to the WNE lead before Wentworth hit a triple and picked up a three-point play to get back within eight, 18-10 with 8:37 to play in the half. 
• The Leopards went on a run to get right back into the game, beginning to find their stroke from the field as Russell Dolabany and David Lunn connected from deep while Dolabany converted a three-point play with 6:09 left, getting the Leopards back within three, 22-19. Wentworth got back within a point at the 5:10 mark, putting a scare into the Golden Bears before WNE went on a 10-0 run over the span of a minute and a half to lead by double digits again. Vlajkovic, Mickens, Eddie McCoy, and Drezell Duffaut all contributed for the Golden Bears on the run, seeing WNE lead 32-21. The Golden Bears led by 12 at the break following a last-second Britschge layup, taking a 37-25 advantage. 
• WNE was red hot from the field, shooting 14/27 overall (52%), while going 7/12 from the outside. 

Second Half:

• The first ten points of the second half belonged to the Golden Bears as Nate Kasper, Eddie McCoy, Luka Vlajkovic, and Matt Houde all contributed for WNE offensively. Wentworth's slow start allowed the Golden Bears to lead by 20 with 16:44 to play. The Leopards picked up their first field goal of the half at the 14:37 mark, while Western New England's lead hovered around the 20-point mark as the game moved into the midway point of the half. 
• WNE's lead never dropped under 17 points following the halfway mark of the half as the three-point shooting continued to lead the Golden Bears to a win. Matt Houde and Avery Mickens stayed hot from distance while the Wentworth offense went cold from the floor in the final eight minutes of the game. 
• Down the stretch, the Golden Bears picked up offensive production from Luka Vlajkovic, Max Jones, Will Laplante III, and Frantz Pierre Jr., helping the Golden Bears finish off the Leopards in the end, coming away with an 80-48 victory on Saturday afternoon.
• WNE shot 45% from the field in the second half, making four more triples. Wentworth shot just 25% in the half, going 7/28, making one of their 11 shots from deep. 

Inside the Lines:

• Luka Vlajkovic picked up a double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds, while coming away with four steals, four assists, and a block in the win. 
• Avery Mickens continued to dominate from the outside, splashing five of his eight triples, scoring 19 points in total for WNE. 
• Matt Houde put down three buckets from the outside to finish with 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. 
• Western New England shot 48% from the floor in the game, going 11/23 overall from the outside.
• The Golden Bears out-rebounded Wentworth 52-33.
• This afternoon's game marks the second straight wire-to-wire victory for the Golden Bears, leading for all but the opening 20 seconds of the game. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE returns home for its final regular season game as Nichols College visits Springfield on Tuesday, February 17, at 7:30 PM.