Springfield, MA --- In the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener for both sides, the Springfield College men's basketball team fell to the No.12-ranked WPI Engineers, 69-56, on Wednesday evening in Blake Arena.
WPI, which is ranked 12th in the country in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, improves to 10-2 on the season, and 1-0 in conference play. With the loss, Springfield is now 3-8 overall and 0-1 in the NEWMAC.
Graduate student Josh Altman (Rockport, MA) finished with a team-best 12 points to go along with six rebounds, while freshman forward Kevin Durkin (Worcester, MA) registered a career-best eight points in the loss. The Pride shot 21-for-53 (39.6%) on the evening.
For WPI, which shot 24-for-58 (41.4%) from the floor, senior forward Clyde Niba (Atlanta, GA) posted a game-high 20 points, including 12 in the first half, while junior guard Sean Doncaster (Medford, MA) finished with 16 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists in the victory. Aaron Todd (York, ME) amassed 11 points and four boards and Obi Obiora(Boston, MA) totaled 10 points and five rebounds.
Both sides traded baskets to start the contest, until Durkin picked up a pair of baskets to give the Pride an early 15-10 lead. Following a three-pointer from Zach Karalis (North Andover, MA), senior guard Quinn McKenna (Litchfield, CT) would drive the lane and finish the basket to give the Pride a four-point lead, but Niba answered with a basket of his own to cut the Engineer's deficit back to a pair.
With 6:37 left in the first half, a three-pointer from Altman would give the Pride a 20-15 edge, but Niba would once again answer with a triple of his own, followed by a lay-up to pull WPI even at 20 with under five minutes left in the first half.
On the next two Springfield possessions, McKenna drilled an open three from the wing, before Durkin found a cutting Altman for an easy basket to help the Pride regain its five-point advantage.
With under a minute in the opening stanza, WPI's Doncaster would convert a pair of free-throws to make it 27-24, Springfield, at the break.
The Engineers would quickly erase Springfield's three-point lead, as they went up 32-31 on a rebound and put-back basket from Obiora and would retain the one-point advantage until Niba hit a turn-around jumper with 13:58 left in the contest to make it 36-33, WPI.
Following six unanswered points from the Engineers, sophomore forward Steven Young (Hanson, Mass.) converted a jumper from the foul line to cut the Pride's deficit to five, before Josh Downes (East Sandwich, MA) capitalized on a pair of free-throws to make it a 42-39 contest with 9:28 left.
Four straight points from Niba, followed by a jumper from Ian Converse (Woodstock, CT) helped the Engineers grab an 11-point lead, which the visitors would retain for the 69-56 win.
The Pride will play again on Saturday when it travels to face Babson at 3pm in a rematch of last year's NEWMAC Championship. WPI hosts MIT Saturday at the same time in a battle of Engineers.
Release Courtesy Sports Information Sports Information