WORCESTER --- Tim Reidy (Needham, MA) and Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, TX) both canned five 3-pointers and senior captain Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA) doled out a career-best 10 assists as WPI kicked off the 2024-25 campaign by defeating visiting Worcester State 99-55 in a non-conference men's basketball contest Tuesday evening inside Harrington Auditorium.  

The victory marked the 22nd consecutive opening night triumph for the Engineers under 24-year head coach Chris Bartley.  The Engineers dropped Bartley's first ever game back in 2001-02 and have won every lid-lifter since. WPI did not play in 2020-21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Lancers, the two-time defending MASCAC Tournament champions, are now 1-1 this season. 

WPI came out of the gates strong, with Justin Molen (Newark, DE) and Nicholas Margetson (Baldwin, NY) knocking shots from behind the arc on the Engineers first three possessions. There was some back-and-forth action, with Worcester State's Brandon Goris (Bronx, NY) leading the charge, racking up nine points and one assist in the first 8:48 of the game, making the game 19-12 in favor of the hosts. 

The Crimson and Gray then started to pull away from the Lancers, using a run of 13-2, led by a flurry of three pointers by Reidy and Callahan, who combined for all 13 points in the spurt, pushing the lead to 32-14 with 6:20 to go before the break.

Right before the end of the half, the Boynton Hillers saw another run of 9-2 in the last three minutes of gameplay. Bledsoe led the charge with seven of those points, hitting two from behind the arc, including a four-point play at the 2:00 mark.

During the first half, WPI's Bledsoe led the Herd with 13 points while Molen grabbed six rebounds, and Callahan added five assists. For the Lancers, Goris notched nine points, with Ayme Daguilh (West Boylston, MA) adding on eight points and three boards.

Coming out of the locker room for the second half,  the Engineers scored 12 of the first 16 points to open the second half. Reidy knocked down two trifectas to lead the pack, with Brett Marelli (Hampton, NH) adding two layups elevating the score to 57-28 with 15:59 remaining.

WPI then hit all six 3-pointers during a 24-1 spurt in the middle of the second to provide an even larger cushion.  Worcester State continued to compete and rattled off a late 13-4 run.

For the game, three players earned career highs in points for WPI. Reidy led the hosts with 17 points, with Bledsoe adding 16, and Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) and Marelli each notching 14 points. Callahan committed just one turnover while handing out 10 assists, and Margetson added three steals. For Worcester State, Goris earned a team-high 12 points and four assists while Daguilh reached double figures with 10 points, and Jaylen Kirkland (Gardner, MA) chipped in with nine. 

The Engineers drained 19-of-32 trifectas on the night at an eye-popping 59.4% while limiting the guests to just 3-of-23 (13.0%) from downtown.  The hosts handed out 28 assists on 36 made baskets with seven players joining Callahan with multi-helpers.  The Lancers committed just 12 turnovers in the contest, and two in the opening 20 minutes.

WPI hosts the Ted Coghlin Tournament this weekend. The Engineers hit the court on Friday at 5:30pm against Saint Joseph's (ME) with Amherst and Western Connecticut tangling in the nightcap. Worcester State is back in action at Colby on Saturday for a 7pm start. 

Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25