WORCESTER, Mass. – The Clark men's basketball team (18-7, 7-7 NEWMAC) concluded its regular season with a 77-69 loss to No. 16 WPI (22-2, 13-1 NEWMAC) on Saturday afternoon from the Kneller Gymnasium on senior day.

Prior to the game, team managers Tim Holt and Sean Christy, seniors Zackary Mittelstadt, Joel Arteaga, and Gralen Vereen, and graduate students Matthew Waggett, Tyler Davern, and Biko Gayman were recognized for their contributions to the men's basketball program.

The Cougars earned the No. 4 seed in the NEWMAC Tournament and will host No. 5 MIT on Tuesday, February 22 at 7:00 p.m. from the Kneller.

How it Happened

• WPI took an early 12-7 lead despite a sophomore Mikey O'Brien three-pointer and baskets from sophomore Bruce Saintilus and graduate student Tyler Davern before a pair of Saintilus free throws pulled Clark within four at 13-9 with 12:47 left in the first half.
• The Engineers then went on 8-0 run that was ended by a three-pointer from graduate student Biko Gayman and a layup from first-year Isaiah Taylor got Clark within 10 at 24-14 with 8:29 remaining in the first half.
• WPI scored 11 of the next 15 points with the Cougar buckets coming from Davern and O'Brien and Clark ended the first half on a 7-0 run that was capped off by a Davern layup in what was now a 39-25 game at the break.
• Saintilus converted on a three-pointer and a layup and Taylor scored two early baskets to pull within nine and a Davern triple got the Cougars within eight at 45-37 with 16:33 to go.
• After a Davern free throw made it a 49-40 contest, WPI scored eight unanswered and Taylor ended the run with an and-one layup to get back within 14 at 57-43 with 11:12 remaining.
• Gayman scored Clark's next four points and Taylor led the offense down the stretch with five points while sophomore Kolby Randolph and Davern each added four points as Clark ended the game on a 22-3 run as WPI came away with a 77-69 win.

Inside the Box Score

• Taylor netted a team-high 18 points on 7-12 shooting.
• Davern added 14 points and five rebounds,
• Saintilus also reached double-figures with 12 points.
• Clark grabbed 23 rebounds, made five threes, and dished out 12 assists, while recording eight steals and forcing 11 turnovers.

What's Next

The Cougars will be back in action on Tuesday night when they open the NEWMAC Tournament with a Quarterfinal game against MIT beginning at 7:00 p.m.