WORCESTER -- Garrett Stephenson (Townsend, MA) netted 20 points and Colin McNamara (Arlington, MA) chipped in 18 as host WPI knocked Eastern Connecticut 88-63 in the consolation game of the fifth annual Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament Saturday afternoon.
The Engineers are 2-1 on the young season and 8-2 all-time in the tournament, with titles in 2015, 2016 and 2018. The Warriors, the 2017 champions, slip to 0-2 this season.
WPI used a 14-5 spurt midway through the first half and a 16-5 run just before intermission to take a 46-29 advantage at the half. Over the opening 20 minutes, the hosts shot a sizzling 57.6% (19-for-33) from the floor, outrebounded Eastern Connecticut, 19-12, and saw its bench outscore their reserve counterparts by an 18-2 margin.
The duo of Stephenson (10-for-12) and McNamara (6-for-8) highlighted a 59.7% shooting performance on the day for the Engineers. Jake Wisniewski (West Brookfield, MA) came off the bench to add 12 points and five assists and six other players tallied between five and eight points in the winning effort. Reid Walker (Tampa, FL) dished out five assists, and Stephenson led all players with eight boards.
On the day, WPI enjoyed a 58-28 bulge in points in the paint, a 41-19 advantage in points off the bench, and a 17-8 edge in free throws made.
Seth Thomas (Norwich, CT) and Thomas Close (East Hampton, CT) reached double digits in scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Jake Collagan (Wethersfield, CT) notched nine points and shared game-high honors with five assists.
WPI is back in action on Tuesday, closing out a four-game, season-opening home stand by hosting Salem State at 7:30pm. Eastern Connecticut returns to the court Thursday, traveling to Johnson & Wales for a 7pm match-up.
Bruton Earns MVP as Nichols Takes Down New England College for Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament Title
WORCESTER — DeAnte Bruton (New London, CT) poured in a team-high 33 points, had seven assists and pulled down five rebounds to lead 10th-ranked Nichols past New England College in the championship game of the fifth annual Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament.
For his efforts, Bruton was named tournament MVP.
Matt Morrow (Leicester, MA) had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, Jason O'Regan (Charlton, MA) added 25 points, including 22 in the second half, and Jaekwon Spencer (Bristol, CT) had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Bison, who improved to 2-0.
O'Regan hit a game-high seven 3-pointers, connecting on 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Izaiah Winston-Brooks (Roxbury, MA) had a game-high 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting for the Pilgrims, who dropped to 2-1.
Larry McKinney (Norwalk, CT) scored 22 points off the bench, Stephen Fama (Lynnfield, MA) had 18, and Calvin Cheek (Mattapan, MA) 12 for New England College, whose bench outscored Nichols, 30-7.
New England College will travel to Waterville, Maine, next weekend to participate in the Colby College Tournament, while Nichols will travel to Anna Maria for a Tuesday night matchup with a 6pm tip.