Worcester, Mass. – Visiting Springfield College shot a sizzling 57 percent in the second half to break open a close game and the Pride collected a 76-64 win over Clark University in New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC ) men's basketball action on Wednesday evening.

The win for Springfield is their fourth in their last five games as they improved to 18-6 with the win. For the Cougars, meanwhile, their record now stands at 12-12 with one game left in their 2013-14 season.

With the score 34-33 in favor of the visitors to start the second half, there were four lead changes in the first two minutes of the period until Springfield went on a 13-2 run that featured four points from both Tim Swenson and Robbie Burke, a three-pointer from Nick Sienkiewicz and a hoop from Sean Martin. When the dust cleared, the Pride were ahead for good at 51-39.

The Cougars mounted a rally with back-to-back hoops from David Mercier (Milford, Mass.) and Andrew Musler (Belmont, Mass.) and a three-pointer from Jake Gubitose (Fiskdale, Mass.) to cut the lead to 51-46 with a little more than ten minutes left.

Springfield surged ahead again as Robbie Burke scored six straight points but the Cougars wouldn't go away and when Conor Dow (Needham, Mass.) dropped in a top-of-the-key three, Clark was still within striking distance at 59-52 with a little less than seven minutes to play.

The momentum for the Scarlet and White was short lived however, as the Pride put the game away with a 9-0 burst highlighted by a Martin steal and finish that made the score 68-52.

Springfield handed out 19 assists on their 29 baskets, shot 49 percent from the field, including 7-for-14 from behind the arc and turned Clark's 14 turnovers into 19 points.

Clark, meanwhile shot 40 percent from the field and uncharacteristically just 57 percent from the charity stripe. They did hold a slim 40-39 edge on the glass and get 22 points from its reserves.

Burke, who converted the game-winning hoop in last season's meeting in Worcester, finished with a game high 21 points, while Sienkiewicz added 18 points of his own on 7-for-11 shooting. Martin stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, six rebounds and eight assists in 29 minutes.

The Cougars were led by Musler, who collected his tenth double-double of the season with 17 points and ten rebounds. Mercier was the only other Cougar in double-figures, ending with 11 points and a career-best four assists.

Clark will close out its season on Saturday with a home contest against WPI, while the Pride plays host to Coast Guard.