Statistics

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Western New England University built a lead in the first half and ran away late in the second half to chalk up a 101-75 Conference of New England men's basketball victory over the University of New England on Saturday afternoon inside the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.
 
Adam Lux scored 15 points – his 12th consecutive game in double figures – to surpass 1,000 points in his time at UNE. Lux, who began his collegiate career at Endicott College, reached 1,000 career points (counting points at Endicott) at home against Gordon on Dec. 3, 2025. Now with his UNE total hitting quadruple digits, he becomes the program's 33rd 1,000-point scorer.
 
Luka Vlajkovic was a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor while pouring in a game-high 20 points, along with his 15 rebounds, to power the hot-shooting Golden Bears. WNEU shot better than 60 percent from the field (34-for-56) on the evening, and was a whopping 16-for-24 in the second half. Success from the perimeter was a big part of that, with the Golden Bears hitting 15-of-28 from deep.
 
Jayden Thornton scored a team-high 16 points for UNE, which struggled to find its shooting touch. Lux was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, but the team finished 7-for-27 from deep.
 
UNE held a lead at a few different points early in the first half before WNEU gained momentum and sustained a double-digit lead late in the opening 20 minutes, leading 51-41 at halftime. The Golden Bears' impressive second-half shooting came with UNE barely hitting at a 30-percent clip from the field, allowing WNEU to continue pulling away.
 
The Nor'easters' stretch of back-to-back road games continues on Saturday, Jan. 17 with UNE visiting Johnson & Wales at 3 p.m.