WORCESTER, Mass. – The No. 2 Clark University men's basketball team (18-9) is dancing for the first time since 2010 after topping crosstown rival No. 1 WPI (24-3), 80-65 to capture the programs fifth NEWMAC Championship in program history on Saturday afternoon from Harrington Auditorium.  

The victory assures that Clark will be a participant in the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in program history. The Cougars will find out who/where they will be playing on Monday, March 3 at noon. To watch the selection show, click on the link below
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How it Happened

• WPI jumped out to an early 8-4 lead sparked by three-pointers from both J.R. Newman and Aidan Callahan, with the Cougar buckets coming from senior Isaiah Taylor and graduate student Jordan Richard before a Taylor layup brought Clark within two.
• The Engineers answered with a 9-2 run as Brett Marelli and Justin Molen each hit triples before a sophomore Quentin Pridgen three-pointer pulled the Cougars within six at 17-11 with 12:27 to go in the first half.
• Junior Reid Neumann and Pridgen combined for Clark's next nine points, with Pridgen connecting on a pair of three-pointers to help bring the deficit down to two before Pridgen's fourth triple of the half made it a 21-20 contest over halfway through the first.
• Pridgen continued his hot shooting with a career-best fifth triple off a feed from senior Bruce Saintilus to tie the game and a Taylor free throw gave the scarlet and white their first lead of the afternoon at 24-23.
• WPI responded with seven unanswered points as Tim Reidy netted five points and Marelli hit a jumper to give the Engineers a six-point edge with 4:00 to go until halftime.
• Saintilus ended the run with a made three-pointer, which helped spark an 11-4 spurt where Pridgen and Taylor added three points apiece as the Cougars took a 35-34 lead into the locker room.
• Richard and Taylor combined for the first five points of the second half to push the advantage to six before Callahan netted the Engineers first points of the half with a made layup.
• The Cougars then went on a 7-2 run as Neumann buried a triple and both Saintulus and first-year Boluwasefe John made free throws to extend Clark's lead into double-digits at 47-37 with 14:46 to play.
• Clark's offense continued to control the game over the next four minutes as the Cougars outscored WPI 8-4 sparked by four points from Saintilus as the scarlet and white held a 55-41 advantage.
• Nathan Bledsoe knocked down a pair of three-pointers to bring the Engineers back within single digits and after a made triple from Neumann, WPI rattled off eight straight as Callahan, Marelli, and Newman all scored to make it a 60-57 contest with 5:42 remaining.
• Senior Kekoa McArdle and Pridgen combined for the next four points and after a made free throw from Callahan, Clark added four more points as John and Saintilus each made a pair of free throws as the Cougars pushed the lead back up to double-digits at 68-58 with 2:13 to play.
• Bledsoe hit a three-pointer on the Engineers next possession to get them as close as seven, but Clark closed out WPI and sealed the NEWMAC title with a 12-4 run over the final two minutes of play as Saintilus, Pridgen, and Taylor all hit free throws to come away with an 80-65 victory.

Inside the Box Score

• Clark made 23 shots, grabbed 42 rebounds, dished out 16 assists, and forced 13 turnovers.
• Pridgen netted a career-high 23 on 7-12 shooting, including six made triples and pulled down eight rebounds.
• Saintilus stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
• Taylor (14), John (10), and Neumann (10) also reached double-figures for the Cougars.
• Marelli led the way for WPI with 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
• Callahan (13) and Newman (11) also netted in double-figures for the Engineers.

What's Next
The Cougars will find out who/where they will be playing on Monday, March 3 at noon. WPI will also await the selection show to see if they receive an at-large bid.