WORCESTER, Mass. – Clark men's basketball (14-3, 8-0 NEWMAC) finished the first half of conference play unbeaten with a 73-65 victory over Springfield (5-11, 2-5 NEWMAC) on Thursday night from the Kneller Gymnasium.

How it Happened

• Both defenses set the tone early in the first half as the score was 7-7 with 12:11 to go as juniors Isaiah Taylor and Kekoa McArdle each scored as well as a made dunk from first-year Quentin Pridgen off a steal.
• Senior Mikey O'Brien gave the Cougars a 10-7 lead with a made three-pointer off a feed from junior Bruce Saintilus and a pair of free throws from junior Ian Calabrese with 9:09 remaining in the first half extended the edge to 14-13.
• Sophomore Reid Neumann connected on a triple and a pair of free throws from both Calabrese and McArdle pushed the Cougars lead to eight at 21-13 with 7:09 to go in the half.
• Saintilus scored Clark's next six points and a made free throw from Pridgen kept the Cougar lead at eight before the Pride scored four unanswered to maintain a 28-24 edge.
• The Cougars ended the half on an 8-4 run as Saintilus, McArdle, Pridgen, and O'Brien all scored as the scarlet and white took a 36-28 lead into the break.
• The Pride scored the first five points of the second half before Taylor and McArdle combined for the contest's next three points to push the lead back to 39-33, but Springfield scored the next four to make it a 39-37 contest with 15:27 to go in the second half.
• O'Brien and Calabrese each hit triples before four combined points from O'Brien and Calabrese pushed the Cougar advantage to 49-45.
• A made triple by senior Jordan Richard extended the lead to seven and a made layup from Saintilus off a feed from O'Brien gave Clark a 54-45 edge with 8:43 remaining.
• Saintilus scored the Cougars next five points and a pair of McArdle free throws pushed the advantage to 61-51, which was the scarlet and white's largest lead to that point.
• An O'Brien layup extended the lead to 12 at 65-53, but the Pride cut the deficit to four at 67-63 with 1:45 to play.
• Saintilus then went to the line and hit a free throw as Clark led 68-63 before John Paulino made a layup to cut Springfield's deficit to three at 68-65 with 0:55 remaining.
• Neumann on the next possession hit a corner three off a pass from O'Brien to extend their advantage to 71-65 with 0:29 to go and after a turnover from the Pride, Taylor hit a pair of free throws as Clark came away with a 73-65 win.

Inside the Box Score

• The Cougars grabbed 39 rebounds, dished out 12 assists, and recorded 11 steals.
• Saintilus led the team with 20 points and pulled down six rebounds.
• O'Brien added 12 points and a team-leading six assists.
• McArdle recorded his eighth double-double of the year with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

What's Next
The scarlet and white will return to action on Saturday with a road NEWMAC game against Wheaton beginning at 3:00 p.m.