SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 27, 2026) – The No. 2-seeded Western New England men's basketball team eliminated the No. 3-seeded Rams of Suffolk University from the Conference of New England (CNE) Tournament for the second straight season, picking up a 77-58 victory on Friday night, advancing to the CNE
Championship Game on Sunday, behind four starters in double figures. 

Records:

• No. 2 Western New England: 21-5
• No. 3 Suffolk University: 16-11

How it Happened:

First Half:

• Luka Vlajkovic opened the scoring for Western New England to spark the crowd with a quick triple. Suffolk quickly answered with the next five points, taking its first lead of the night. The two teams battled in the opening ten minutes of the game, with Suffolk leading by as many as four at the midway mark. 
• A stretch of over four minutes of no points was broken by Justin Garretson's dunk, getting the Golden Bears back in the game offensively. The dunk from the sophomore helped put together a 10-0 run for the Golden Bears, with Matt Houde, Avery Mickens, Eddie McCoy, and Vlajkovic helping the Golden Bears take a 20-14 lead with 5:45 to play in the half. Suffolk kept the game close, answering at the free throw line to trail by four with 3:41 to play. 
• Western New England closed the half on a small 5-0 run to take its first double-digit lead of the half, leading 30-20 after the opening 20 minutes as Suffolk's offense was slowed by the WNE defense. The Rams made just six field goals in the opening half, four of which came from the outside. Western New England made 11 shots, five from deep overall. 

Second Half:

• Eddie McCoy got to the rim to open the second half, while an Avery Mickens triple shortly after forced a quick timeout for Suffolk, seeing the Golden Bears lead 35-20. WNE continued to find offensive success as Nate Kasper got to the rim on an assist from Mickens with 16:10 to play, giving WNE a 41-22 lead. 
• Suffolk dropped back-to-back triples and three straight field goals from the outside to get within 12 as James Jones began to heat up for the Rams, attempting to will Suffolk back into the game. Suffolk's Harrison Neil drained a triple with 12:32 left in the game, seeing Suffolk get back within 11. 
• The Golden Bears answered with a triple from Matt Houde, while Travis Mangual got to the lane to score a bucket as the Western New England lead began to rise once more. Nate Kasper had a layup go with 9:59 remaining, giving the Golden Bears a 54-37 lead. Suffolk went on a 9-2 run to get back within ten with 8:32 left, but a clutch triple from Houde with 7:12 remaining sparked Western New England again.
• Down the stretch, Western New England continued to score, making it hard for the Rams to come away with any sort of momentum. With 3:30 to play in the half, Avery Mickens stuck a wide-open triple in the corner to push the Golden Bears ahead 69-52. Mickens finished the game off with a dunk at the rim, while Luka Vlajkovic ended the game with a slam of his own, seeing the Golden Bears outpace Suffolk and win the CNE Semifinal game by a final score of 77-58. 
• Western New England was hot from the field in the second half, missing just seven of its 18 shots, shooting 72% from the field, going 4/7 from the outside. Suffolk scored 13 field goals, six from deep, but shot just 44% for the half. 

Inside the Lines:

• Four different Golden Bears were in double figures on Friday night. Matt Houde led WNE with 20 points on 6/12 shooting, going 3/5 from deep and 5/6 at the free throw line. Houde collected six rebounds and three assists. 
• Luka Vlajkovic had 19 points for Western New England, picking up three triples, shooting 7/11 from the field overall. The WNE senior also had six assists, three blocks, and three steals. 
• Avery Mickens went 3/5 from the outside and 5/11 from the field overall, scoring 14 points, picking up seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
• Nate Kasper had 11 points on 5/9 shooting. Kasper also went for four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
• Suffolk was led by Nick Verdile, who was 5/10 from deep, finishing the night with 20 points. 
• WNE shot 55% from the field as a team, going 9/21 from the outside. 
• The Golden Bears outrebounded Suffolk 43-27.
• This is the third straight win on home floor against the Rams, who have traveled to Springfield in four straight meetings overall. 

Coach's Corner:
Matt Houde met with the sports information department after the game for an interview. Houde was asked how he felt about the overall game, the atmosphere, and the feelings on the court tonight. "There was a great atmosphere. Crowd sold out, which is always awesome. It's always a good game against Suffolk. Obviously, we played them in the championship last year. That environment was great. We played them in the semis the year before, and obviously the semis this year. They're a very good team. I think they're top six defensively in the country, so we knew it was gonna be a dog fight. They got a lot of really talented guys, and coach gave us a great game plan. I finished with 20 points, but it is all credit to my teammates. Luka (Vlajkovic) had a great first half, and he got going really early. Obviously, they're going to have to help and double, and that opened up shots for me, and I was just lucky enough to make them today. Playoff basketball is awesome. It was a great crowd, and I'm excited going forward for whatever we have in front of us, we're just gonna come out and be ready to go," Houde stated. Then, when asked about his performance specifically, Houde noted that, "I'm a senior, so this is all I got. It's my last guaranteed game left. Coach Tabb's uncle is Gerry Martin, who just passed away, and this past game meant a lot, so I just wanted to go out there and give it my all for Coach Tabb, for my teammates, and for myself. I've played basketball for 18 years of my life to get to this moment, so I wasn't living with any regrets, and we were just fortunate to come out with the win, and I'm glad with our performance." Lastly, Houde was asked about what it is going to be like to travel to the number 13-ranked team in the country with a Championship on the line. "Like you said, they are number 13 in the country for a reason. They are very good. Haven't lost a conference game all year. Only lost one game all year. They got a really talented group, so it's gonna be a dog fight. It's always gonna be a tough game against Endicott. This year, I think welost by ten to twelve, but in the years past, it's been overtime, overtime, overtime. They have a really good crowd. It's a cool gym, a shooter's gym. Ilike playing there, but Championship game away, it's gonna be tough. I like us and the way we've been playing, so I think it will be great."
Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears travel to No. 1 Endicott College on Sunday, March 1, at 1:00 PM for a chance at their second straight CNE Title.