PROVIDENCE, R.I. (February 21, 2026) – The Western New England men's basketball team came away with a 21-point victory on Saturday afternoon on the road at Johnson & Wales University, led by a 24-point performance from Luka Vlajkovic, as the Golden Bears won their final game of the regular season, 79-58. 

Records:

• Western New England: 20-5, 14-2 CNE
• Johnson & Wales University: 3-22, 2-14 CNE

How it Happened:

First Half:

• Western New England jumped out to a quick 5-0 after Luka Vlajkovic got to the rim and Matt Houde connected from the outside. The game then featured five straight possessions that resulted in points, including eight from the Golden Bears as Vlajkovic and Will Laplante III hit from deep. Western New England started the game hot from distance, leading 13-6 after the opening three minutes of the contest. 
• WNE's Matt Houde was up to nine points just 3:47 into the game, forcing a timeout from Johnson & Wales that saw the Golden Bears take their first double-digit lead of the game, 17-6. The WNE lead got to as many as 12 in the opening five minutes of the game before scoring began to cool off for the visitors, allowing JWU back into the game. 
• The Wildcats went on a 7-0 run to get back within five with JWU's Alvin Baez leading the way. JWU forced a WNE timeout with 11:30 to play in the half, trailing 22-17. Following the timeout, Western New England got right back on track, scoring eight straight to lead by 13, seeing the Wildcats call another timeout, leading 30-17. JWU answered with six in a row to cut the lead back down to six with 5:32 left to play. 
• The scoring stalled for the next three minutes until Laplante III dropped his third triple of the game, bringing WNE's lead back to double digits. Western New England held the double-digit lead heading into halftime, leading 40-28. 
• WNE hit six of their first 13 triples in the half and shot 53% from the floor overall. Luka Vlajkovic (13), Will Laplante III (12), and Matt Houde (11) had all but four points for the Golden Bears in the opening 20 minutes of action. JWU was led by Baez, who scored nine points on 4/6 shooting as the Wildcats shot 48% from the field in the half. 

Second Half:

• The Golden Bears held a lead by as many as 15 in the opening minutes of the half, as Western New England looked to pull away from JWU in the final regular-season game. The Wildcats fought back to get within eight with 15:36 to play after Azariah Harrison hit from distance to get into double figures, as WNE led 49-41. Western New England began another run to pull away from JWU heading into the midway point of the second half. 
• Avery Mickens dropped home his first triple of the game with 11:30 remaining to bring the WNE lead to 59-45 while the Golden Bears continued to improve after Matt Houde dropped down a pair of free throws to extend the WNE lead back up to 15, 62-47 with 9:20 remaining in the half. Western New England controlled the game down the stretch and never let the Wildcats back into it, leading 70-54 with under six minutes to play.
• Western New England was able to pull away from JWU late in the game after Luka Vlajkovic splashed a triple and got to his spot for a jumper that gave the Golden Bears a 21-point lead. The senior led the Golden Bears in scoring while down the stretch, Justin Garrettson and Eddie McCoy scored the final buckets of the game for WNE, well on their way to a 79-58 victory. 

Inside the Lines:

• Luka Vlajkovic led WNE with 24 points, going 10/17 from the field, including 2/2 from outside while picking up nine rebounds and three assists in the win. 
• Matt Houde shot an efficient 7/11 from the field while picking up 17 points and six assists in the win. 
• Will Laplante III hit five triples and collected 17 points, breaking his career-high from Tuesday night against Nichols. 
• The Golden Bears ended the afternoon by shooting 44% from the field overall, while JWU shot 45% but made just 23 field goals to WNE's 29. 
• Western New England outrebounded JWU 40-29 overall. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears are the second seed in the upcoming CNE Tournament and receive a bye in the opening round of play and will host a CNE Semifinal game Thursday, February 26 at 7:00 PM inside the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.