WORCESTER -- Tim Reidy (Needham, MA) notched a career-high 22 points and nationally-ranked WPI's defense held visiting Clark to 27 points under its scoring average as the Engineers moved into first place in the NEWMAC with a hard-earned 58-49 triumph over the Cougars on Thursday evening inside Harrington Auditorium.
WPI, which is ranked 22nd in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, improves to 12-2 on the season and 4-1 in NEWMAC play. Clark drops to 8-7 overall and 4-2 in conference action.
The Cougars, whose offense entered the game second in the NEWMAC at over 77 points per game, was held 50 points for the first time since February 14th, 2018.
After an early 5-5 deadlock, WPI surged ahead with a 7-0 run, building a seven-point lead with 14:00 remaining in the first half. Reidy ignited the streak with a strong drive through the defense for a layup. Clark responded with defensive pressure, and Kekoa McArdle (Pittsfield, MA) halted the Engineers' momentum, sinking back-to-back layups to keep his team within striking distance at 12-9 with 11:23 to go.
Following a scoreless stretch of more than two and a half minutes, the Cougars Isaiah Taylor (Methuen, MA) broke the drought with a three-pointer from the top of the key, knotting the game at 12-12 with 8:45 left in the first half. WPI reclaimed the lead with a layup by Brett Marelli (Hampton, NH) at the 8:22 mark and gradually extended the lead to 18-13 over the next minute. However, the visitors kept the Engineers within reach, as Taylor added a free throw and a driving layup, trimming the lead to just two points.
The Engineers closed out the first half with a 7-0 run, powered by Reidy's flawless 5-for-5 showing at the free-throw line. J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) added a driving layup in the middle of Reidy's trips to the stripe, sending the hosts into halftime with a 27-18 lead.
Reidy sees double digit scoring with 10 in the first half for the Engineers. Marelli added eight points and three boards. Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA) contributed five points, and Newman tallied four points, one steal and four rebounds. For the Cougars, Taylor led with eight points and one steal. McArdle and Reid Neumann (Burbank, CA) each added four points, and McArdle grabbed five boards.
The second half opened with a layup from Clark's Taylor, but WPI responded with a commanding 9-0 run to push the score to 36-20. Marelli sparked the surge with a three-pointer, then quickly snatched a steal, setting up a pull-up jumper by Callahan with 18:40 to go.
The Cougars fought back with a scorching 13-0 run, highlighted by four three-pointers, including two from Neumann. The surge trimmed the deficit to just three points, 36-33, with 10:59 remaining. During this time, Clark's defense held off the Engineers from scoring from 17:59 until 9:59, an eight-minute time span.
Clark narrowed the gap to a single point at 38-37 with just over eight minutes remaining, after a layup by Bruce Saintilus (Plainville, MA) and two clutch free throws from Nathan Charlot (Monroe, CT).
The hosts turned up the defensive intensity and found their rhythm on offense to extend their lead, going on a 10-0 spurt. Three free throws pushed the score to 41-37, and Newman capitalized on a fast break with a layup, completing a three-point play to widen the margin. Reidy and Newman each chipped in another layup, stretching the lead to 11 points with 4:42 remaining.
The game saw more back-and-forth action as WPI's defense kept the Cougars from adding many points. In between two three-pointers from Reidy, the Cougars mounted a 7-0 run, highlighted by two layups from Taylor and a three-pointer from Quentin Pridgen (Fitchburg, MA), narrowing the score to 54-46 with 1:22 to play. However, the Engineers' defense held strong for the rest of the game, securing a 58-49 victory.
For the Engineers, only the five starters tallied points on the game. Reidy notched a career-high 22 points, including an impressive 9-of-10 shooting from the free throw mark. Marelli was one board shot of a double-double, contributing 13 points and nine rebounds. Newman tallied 15 points and seven caroms, Callahan had seven points and three assists, and Justin Molen (Newark, DE) added three assists and a steal.
For the Cougars, Taylor totaled 15 points and an overwhelming five steals. Neumann marked 10 points, Pridgen grabbed 11 rebounds, and Boluwasefe John (Corona, NY) dealt an impressive five blocks.
WPI shot 19-of-51 (37.3%) of field goals while limiting Clark to just 25.4% (16-of-63). Both teams were 25.0% shooting from behind the arc, with the hosts making five treys and the visitors sinking eight three-pointers. WPI held an advantage in fastbreak points, 15-6, and points in the paint, 26-16.
Both teams continue with NEWMAC action on Saturday. WPI hosts Springfield for the Sunday Camp Reunion Game at 3pm, while Clark entertains MIT for a 1pm matchup.
Recap written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25