HARTFORD, Conn. – The Clark University men's basketball team (18-9) earned their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010 with a victory in the NEWMAC Championship over WPI and are set to compete against Keene State (22-5) in the First Round on Friday afternoon.

The Cougars will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in program history and are seeking their first win in the NCAA's since 2010 when they beat Albright College 69-67. Clark is 24-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, have reached the Sweet 16 eight times in program history.

Game Info
Clark vs. Keene State
Friday, March 7 at 4:40 p.m. – Ray Oosting Gymnasium
Tickets | Live Stats | Video

Ticket Info

• General Admission: $15 for Adults
• Admission: $10 for Seniors (65+), Child (3+), Students

Series History
Clark and Keene State have met twice in program history, with Clark recording a pair of wins. The Cougars won 64-39 in 1947 and 79-68 in 2003.

Scouting the Cougars

• Clark clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament after defeating No, 6 Coast 71-53 in the NEWMAC Semifinals and topped No, 1 WPI 80-65 in the NEWMAC Championship, which went down as the Cougars fifth NEWMAC title in program history.
• The scarlet and white led the NEWMAC in rebounds (40.6), assists (15.2), and steals (8.0), ranked second in points (75.6), points allowed (70.0), three-point percentage (36.0), opponent three-point percentage (31.6), and finished third in free throws made (343).
• Senior Bruce Saintilus earned a spot on the All-NEWMAC First Team. The senior led the team and ranked third in the NEWMAC in points per game (16.9), while leading the conference in free throws made (120) and attempted (152), and was second in the league in assists per night (4.4). Saintilus also pulled down 4.0 rebounds per game and reached double-figures in 25 games this season.
• Fellow senior Kekoa McArdle also was named to the All-NEWMAC First Team. The senior nearly averaged a double-double with 11.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per night and ranked second in the league with a 55.2 percent field goal percentage. McArdle has recorded 11 double-doubles so far this season, including a 10 point and 18 rebound effort in the NEWMAC Semifinal victory win over Coast Guard. McArdle's 9.1 rebounds per game led the league and the senior earned two NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week nods. He is five points away from 1,000 career points.
• Taylor earned a spot on the All-NEWMAC Second Team and earned his fourth career All-Conference accolade, with three nods to the Second Team All-Conference and one to the First Team All-Conference, while also earning NEWMAC Rookie of the Year. The senior guard led the team in steals per game (2.3), ranked second in assists per night (3.9), and third in points per contest (11.5). in 20 games played, Taylor reached double-figures 13 times and dished out at least five assists in seven contests. The senior also recorded two contests with five steals, which helped him rank second in the league in steals per night. Taylor also garnered two NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week honors.
• Pridgen nearly averages a double-double with 8.2 points and pulled down 7.3 rebounds in 26 games and netted a career-high 23 points in the NEWMAC Championship, including six made three-pointers.
• Graduate student Jordan Richard (61) and junior Reid Neumann (56) lead the team in made triples.

Scouting the Owls

• Keene State received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after topping Western Connecticut 80-67 in the LEC Championship game.
• Keene State won their fourth straight LEC Championship and their eight in program history. They now will appear in their 10th NCAA Tournament.
• The Owls went 2-1 against common opponents including wins over MIT and Middlebury and a loss to Tufts.
• Keene State averages 89.2 points, 37.3 rebounds, 15.5 assists, and 9.8 steals per night, while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor.
• Octavio Brito was named LEC Player of the Year and First Team All-LEC after registering an average of 22.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Brito made 211 field goals and 62 three-pointers. Brito netted a career-high 42 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a win over UMass-Boston.
• Mason Jean Baptiste earned a spot on the Second Team All-LEC after averaging 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. Jean Baptiste netted a career-high 18 points in a victory over WNE and buried four three's.
• Nate Siow also received a nod on the Second Team All-LEC after recording an average of 6.1 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest. Siow netted a season-high 20 points in a victory against Southern Maine.
• Spencer Aronson rounded out the All-LEC Second Team after averaging 9.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per night. Aronson buried 50 three-pointers and scored a season-high 19 points against WestConn.