Norton, Mass. – Nicholas DaPrato (Marshfield, Mass.) scored 15 of his team-high 19 points in the second half and visiting Clark University posted a much-needed 71-65 win over Wheaton College in New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.

The win for the Cougars snaps their two-game losing streak and sends their record to 6-7 overall and 1-1 in conference games. For the Lyons, meanwhile, they have now dropped three in a row and four of their last five.

The first half showcased some back-and-forth action as the opening stanza featured four lead changes and three ties. Andrew Musler (Belmont, Mass.) opened up the contest with seven straight points to push Clark to an eventual 15-7 advantage and an eight point lead – the largest of the half – with 13:35 remaining on the scoreboard.

Wheaton responded with a 13-3 run, culminating in the third lead change of the half, receiving five points from Mike O'Loughlin and four more from Ryan Fogarty to highlight the spurt. The Lyons pushed the gap to as many as five points (24-19, 5:27) before Clark answered with an 11-5 run of its own to close out the half and a take a slim 30-29 lead into the break courtesy of a Musler rebound and putback at the buzzer.

In the second half, Billy Battaglia opened up play with a three-pointer to reclaim the advantage at 32-30, but Musler countered with a long range shot of his own two possessions later and Clark never relinquished the lead again for the remainder of the matchup. The Lyons came within one point with 17:29 left to play (35-34) and made it at least a two-possession game or less 16 more times during the rest of the stanza.

The Cougars shot 43.1 (22-for-51) from the field and held a slight 36-31 edge on the glass.

In addition to DaPrato's huge second half, the Scarlet and White got a double-double from David Mercier (Milford, Mass.), who finished with 14 points and a game-best 12 rebounds, while Musler totaled 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Clark will return to the hardwood on Wednesday with a road trip to Emerson College. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.