Worcester, Mass. - February 19, 2020 - In a matchup between a pair of nationally-ranked squads, the Springfield College men's basketball team battled their way to an 80-64 victory over WPI in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play in Harrington Audotorium on Wednesday night.
Springfield, ranked No. 15 in this week's D3hoops.com National Poll, picked up its ninth-straight win to improve to 21-3, 12-1 in conference play. The Engineers, the nation's 21st-ranked squad, dropped to 19-5, 10-3. Both teams appeared in this week's NCAA Division III Regional Rankings, with the Pride coming in at No. 2 and WPI checking in at No. 3.
The senior duo of Jake Ross (Northampton, Mass.) and Heath Post (Cheshire, Conn.) were especially dynamic in the win as Ross totaled 32 points, eight rebounds, and three assists, while Post delivered 20 points, 11 boards, and a pair of blocks. Post carried the load in the first half producing 15 points and seven boards, while Ross netted 23 points in 17 second-half minutes as he became just the 19th student-athlete in Division III men's basketball history to eclipse the 2,500 career point scoring mark. As a team, Springfield shot 50% from the floor, hitting 30-of-60 field goal attempts.
WPI was limited to their lowest scoring output since December 7 as they were 24-for-65 (37%) from the field. The Engineers held a 40-34 advantage on the glass for the game, including 14 offense boards that resulted in 15 second-chance points. Colin McNamara poured in a team-best 21 points, Garrett Stephenson added 16 points and eight boards, and John Lowther chipped in 11 points and eight boards.
Post knocked down a pair of triples in the early going to give the Pride a 8-2 edge just over three minutes into the contest. Springfield would open up a 14-8 edge thanks to a three-point play from Ross at the 12:50 mark, but the hosts would respond with seven-straight points, as McNamara drilled a triple from the left wing to put WPI ahead, 15-14, less than two minutes later. After Trey Witter (Unionville, Conn.) would finish through contact to push the Pride ahead 18-15, the Engineers strung together a 7-0 burst, getting an inside score from Lowther at 6:35 to earn a 22-18 advantage. However, Noah Cummings (Epsom, N.H.) drilled a leaner in the lane to put the visitors back on top at 24-22, and after WPI responded with a Stephenson score, the Pride closed out the half on a 13-2 burst en route to a 37-26 halftime lead. Post lead the charge with six-straight points in the run, including a four-point play, and Ross pulled up in transition in the waning seconds to close out the scoring.
Cummings knocked down a deep two to keep the Pride's double-digit lead at 41-31 at 17:35, and after back-to-back tough finishes by Deonte Sandifer (Pittsfield, Mass.) would cap off a 7-2 push, Ross would drill a a step back triple at the 12:39 mark to make it a 53-38 contest. However, WPI would respond with a 13-5 surge, including seven-straight points, to force the Pride into timeout with 6:14 remaining after its lead was trimmed to 58-51.
Out of the break, Ross would net eight-straight points, as a pair of deep trifectas sandwiched a crafty left-hand finish in the lane to push the advantage back to 66-51 with 4:35 remaining in regulation. A three-point play by Ross with just over two minutes to play made it a 74-58 game, and the Pride would pull out their 12th conference victory of the season by an 80-64 final score.
Springfield will host Babson on Saturday in the Pride's regular-season finale at 2 pm in Blake Arena.
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