BOSTON -- A pair of 20-plus point efforts on the backs of John Adams (Douglas, MA) and John Lowther (Hingham, MA) boosted the No. 23 WPI men's basketball team to a 79-68 victory over Emerson College to remain perfect in NEWMAC action Saturday afternoon. 

WPI (12-1, 4-0 NEWMAC), who find themselves ranked in the D3Hoops.com Top 25 this week, was led by Adams who finished with a team-high 23 points, while also adding 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season, which ranks 12th in the nation. Adams also shot 71.3 percent from the field in the outing. Lowther added 21-points and four rebounds on the day. Colin McNamara (Arlington, MA) chipped in 11 points in 40 minutes of action, while dishing out five helpers.  

Emerson (8-4, 1-2) was paced by Nate Martin (Washington, DC) who finished with a game-high 24 points, including  trio of 3-pointers, while Jarred Houston (Norwood, MA) added 14 points and eight rebounds and Max Davis (Oakland, CA) finished with 10 points in the game.  

The Engineers shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, helping them stay on track with Emerson in an evenly matched first 20 minutes of action. 

After a tie ballgame with 2:02 to play in the first half following a Davis layup, the Engineers utilized a 5-0 run via a Kahleb Downing (Middletown, CT) free throw, Lowther jumper and McNamara layup, with just seven seconds remaining, to head into halftime with a 36-31 lead.  

The two teams continued to trade blows throughout the second half. Emerson made it a one-point game thanks to a 7-0 run that spanned from 15:14 until 13:27, but WPi quickly responded with a Downing trey and built the lead up to a two-possession game.  

At the 10:23 mark, the Engineers utilized a 6-0 run behind five-straight points from Adams to build up an 11-point, 64-53 advantage with 8:22 remaining in the game. A 3-pointer from Martin brought Emerson within four with five minutes to go, but the Engineers quickly bolstered their lead and once again earned a double-digit advantage after a McNamara layup, and four clutch free throws by Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA), en route to the victory.  

The Engineers finished with a 50.8 percent effort from the field, though Emerson was a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line on the day. Emerson outrebounded WPI 27-26, while the Engineers out-assisted the Lions, 17-15. Both teams finished with two blocks. 

WPI is back in action on Wednesday when they return home to face off against crosstown and conference rival Clark University at 7 pm. Emerson returns to action on Monday afternoon at 1 pm when they square off against Coast Guard at home.