WORCESTER -- WPI outscored host Worcester State 28-10 over the last 11 minutes of the first half and led by double digits the rest of the way as the Engineers kicked off the 2023-24 campaign with a 77-65 triumph over the Lancers on Wednesday evening. 

With the win, the Crimson and Gray begin the year 1-0 for the 21st straight season and are now 21-1 all-time in season openers under head coach Chris Bartley.  Worcester State, the defending MASCAC regular season and tournament champions, are now 0-1.  

The opening 10 minutes saw four ties and 10 lead changes and the Lancers led 20-17 following a Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester, MA) jumper with 11:05 to go before intermission.  A 14-3 WPI spurt a few minutes later was highlighted by 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, TX) early in the run and capped by a pair of Brett Marelli (Hampton, NH) layups.  The guests used a trifecta by Donovan Sevilla (San Ramon, CA) in the final minute and another Marelli layup just before buzzer to take a 45-30 advantage into the locker room at halftime. 

The entire second half was within a nine-point window, as the Engineers' lead would expand to 19 at one point but the hosts would claw back to ten points on four different occasions over the last five minutes but were able to shave the deficit to single digits.   

John Adams (Douglas, MA) paced WPI with team-high of 16 points and 15 rebounds.  It marked the senior's 24th career double-double.  Sevilla got off to a torrid start, amassing 14 of his 15 points in the first half while point guard Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA) narrowly missed a double-double of his own with 11 points and eight rebounds.  J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) totaled nine of his 11 points after aftertime while Marelli and Bledsoe finished with nine and eight points respectively. 

Nkrumah, the reigning MASCAC Player of the Year and a preseason D3hoops.com All-America, led all players with 26 points to go along with seven boards, three steals and a pair of assists.  Ryan Rubenskas (Bridgewater, MA), also a returning All-MASCAC performer chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds and was joined in double figures in scoring by Zion Hendrix (Charlotte, NC), who collected 11 points. 

The Engineers shot 41.5% on the night, including 52.9% in the first 20 minutes.  The hosts connected on 31.9% of its shot from the floor.  The two teams were nearly identical in 3-point shooting with the guests draining 7-of-24 (29.2%) and the Lancers connecting on 7-of-23 (30.4%) from downtown.  WPI held a 54-40 edge in rebounding and a 26-9 bulge in bench scoring. 

WPI turns its attention to hosting this weekend's Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament.  The Engineers open play Saturday at 4pm, entertaining No. 7 Williams while Dickinson (PA) and St. Joseph's (ME) tangle in the other semifinal at 6pm.  (Note the game times are three hours later than originally scheduled due to WPI hosting an NCAA Division III Men's Soccer regional.  Worcester State is also back on the court on Saturday, venturing to Boston for a 5pm tilt with Wentworth.