WORCESTER, Mass. – Clark men's basketball (6-1) opened a two-game homestand against Westfield State (4-2) and came away with an 89-77 victory on Saturday afternoon from the Kneller Gymnasium.
How it Happened
- Westfield State opened the game on a 10-5 run as Clark got a pair of baskets from McArdle before a three-pointer from senior Jordan Richard pulled the Cougars within two at 10-8.
- Senior Mikey O'Brien made a jumper and a pair of made free throws from junior Bruce Saintilus as the Cougars trailed 15-14.
- Junior Ian Calabrese made two more free throws to take a 16-15 lead, but the Owls netted eight unanswered points to take a 23-16 advantage with 10:41 remaining.
- Saintilus netted the team's next five points and a made layup from Taylor tied the game at 23-23, but again the Owls went on an 8-2 run to go up 31-25.
- Four points from McArdle and a layup from O'Brien tied the game at 31-31 and a made three-pointer from Calabrese to go up 34-33 with 3:15 remaining.
- Taylor scored three points before the half, with his made layup off a steal gave the Cougars a 41-39 edge at the break.
- McArdle and Saintilus scored the first five points of the second half to give Clark a 46-39 lead with 18:43 to go.
- Taylor kept the lead at seven with a made layup before the Owls scored seven unanswered points to tie the contest at 48-48.
- First-year Quentin Pridgen made a dunk off a steal from McArdle and a made triple from Calabrese gave the scarlet and white a 61-54 edge with 11:00 remaining.
- Taylor and Calabrese then connected on a pair of made three-pointers to go up 67-56 and two more Taylor jumpers extended the advantage to 71-60 with 7:30 left.
- McArdle made a pair of layups and a Pridgen layup with 4:30 remaining helped keep the lead at 11 before Saintilus and McArdle traded buckets with the Owls to keep an 82-71 advantage.
- Taylor made five free throws down the stretch and a pair of free throws from O'Brien helped Clark come away with an 89-77 win.
Inside the Box Score
- The Cougars grabbed 37 rebounds, dished out 18 assists, forced 23 turnovers, and shot 52.5% from the floor.
- McArdle led the way with a double-double after netting 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.
- Taylor added 21 points on 7-14 shooting.
- Saintilus and Calabrese also reached double-figures with 16 and 11 points.
- O'Brien dished out a team-leading seven assists.
What's Next
Clark will close out the 2023 home portion of their schedule and open NEWMAC play on Wednesday night when they welcome Wheaton to the Kneller beginning at 7:00 p.m.
