Bristol, R.I. – Nicholas DaPrato (Marshfield, Mass.) paced a foursome of the Clark University players in double figures with a career-high 19 points and the Cougars held on for a thrilling 65-62 win over Vassar College in the second game of the Roger Williams Courtyard By Marriott Tip-Off Tournament on Friday evening.

Clark will take on Mount Ida in the championship game tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. after the Mustangs stunned the host Hawks, 88-87 in overtime on the strength of Cam Walker's 41 point performance.

The win for the Cougars, meanwhile was keyed by their ability to create turnovers, as they forced the Brewers into 28 miscues, which led to 19 points.

After Vassar tied the game at 48-48 with less than eight minutes left to play, Clark scored five straight on a Tyler Huffman (West Hartford, Conn.) three-pointer and a DaPrato rebound and putback, giving the Cougars a 53-48 lead.

The Brewers responded, rattling off seven of the game's next nine points to take a brief 55-53 edge, but six straight points by DaPrato in less than ten seconds gave Clark a 59-55 lead at the at the 4:32 mark.

Clark was still clinging to a 64-62 advantage after Johnny Mrlik hit two free throws with 1:06 to go. After a shot clock violation on the Cougars, the Brewers had a chance to even the score but an offensive call was made, sending DaPrato to the line. He split the pair, giving Vassar one final shot with less than ten seconds to go.

However, Erikson Wasyl saw his game-tying three-point attempt fall short as time expired.

The stat sheet was heavily in Vassar's favor, as they shot 51 percent from the floor and held a 40-30 edge on the glass and a 34-18 advantage on points in the paint.

In a game that had six lead changes and seven ties, neither team led by more than nine points.

Along with DaPrato, who scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, Clark got double figure scoring efforts from Huffman, who had a career-best 16 points and 14 points and five rebounds from Andrew Musler (Belmont, Mass.). Freshman David Mercier (Milford, Mass.) scored ten points, making three three-pointers in just 13 minutes of action.