New London, CT --- Jake Wisniewski (West Brookfield, MA) led four WPI players in double figures with a game-high 19 while John Lowther (Hingham MA) registered his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds leading the to a 79-67 win over Coast Guard in a NEWMAC men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon. 

Colin McNamara (Arlington, MA) had 17 points while Kahleb Downing (Middletown, CT) added 11 points as WPI improved to 12-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference.  The 3-1 mark in NEWMAC play has the Crimson and Gray, who are receiving votes in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25, in a four-way tie for first with No. 19 Springfield, Emerson and Clark with No. 17 Babson and MIT both a game back at 2-2.  

Wisniewski's 19 points were a season-best and equaled a career-high and Lowther's 11 boards are a new career-best.  Ethan Harrell (Wexford, PA) chipped in with eight points off the bench, included a pair of three pointers, and contributed two blocks on the defensive end. 

Noah Baldez (Lower Gwynedd, PA) led Coast Guard (5-9, 0-4) with 18 points and seven rebounds. Sean Graytok (Greensburg, PA) had a season-high 14 points while Tyler Perez (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) and Packy Witkowski (Melrose, MA) each added 11 points for the Bears. 

WPI shot 42.4 percent in the win (28-66) making four of 12 from 3-point range while the Bears shot 47.2 percent (25-53) and made five of 16 from behind arc. The Engineers held a 37-27 rebounding edge including 15 offensive rebounds.  

Coast Guard jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first four minutes of the game and led by as many as nine in the first half. 

WPI would later use a 12-4 run to take its first lead of the game 31-30 on a layup by Wisniewski with 2:52 left in the first half. WPI lead 35-32 at the break. 

The Engineers, who never trailed in the second half, would use a 10-2 spurt to take ad 50-41 lead with 14:23 left. The Bears would get as close as six at 73-67 with 1:02 left on a trey by Graytok. 

WPI would go six-for-six from the foul line in the final minute to ice the game with Downing draining all four of his freebees. 

The Bears are back in action on Wednesday night when they host Clark in a NEWMAC game at 7pm.  WPI heads to Emerson Wednesday at 5:30pm in a rematch of last season's NEWMAC Tournament championship game. 

Release Courtesy Coast Guard Sports Information