Worcester, MA --- Michael Moroney (North Andover, MA) came off the bench to spark a second half spurt as the WPI defense held Newbury without a field goal for the opening 10:21 of the second stanza as the host Engineers knocked off Newbury 81-37 in a non-conference men's basketball match-up Thursday evening. 

The victory is the third straight overall for WPI and 21st consecutive win in Harrington Auditorium dating back to late in the 2011-12 season.  The Engineers, who are ranked No.14 in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25, are 6-1 on the season while Newbury dips to 0-7 with four losses to teams that were ranked or received votes in the poll.

Although never leading in the first half, the visiting Nighthawks, who were playing their third game in as many nights, played a spirited half with Cameron Owen (Concord, NH) draining a trio of 3-pointers and Eric Watson (New Rochelle, NY) chipping in with six points as the visitors trailed just 26-18 at the intermission.  

WPI opened the second half with 16 straight points, with Ryan Kolb (Southington, CT) and Sam Longwell (Acton, MA) combining for 11 points during the run.  The WPI bench and defense shined during the opening 10:21 of the second half with the Engineering forcing the guests to miss their first eight shots and to commit eight turnovers while only allowing three made free throws.  

Longwell ended with a game-best 11 points and was joined in double figures by Kolb (10).  The WPI bench, fueled by nine points from Marcus Middleton (Stoughton, MA) and eight each from Moroney (all in the second half) and Ian Converse (Woodstock, CT) outscored its Newbury counterparts by a 52-20 margin.  Others to contribute to the bench uprising were Luis Garcia(Springfield, MA), Richard O'Brien (Bedford, NH) and Drew Osei (Buffalo, NY), who combined for 17 points on the night. 

Point guard Aaron Davis (Marshfield, MA) had a strong night for the Crimson and Gray, finishing with four points, five assists, a team-high six rebounds and a steal. 

Watson paced the Newbury with team-bests of 10 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists. 

WPI concludes a four-game home stand Saturday, hosting fellow 2013 NCAA Tournament participant Fitchburg State at 2pm.  Newbury, who was playing its third game in as many nights, wraps up a busy stretch Saturday by entertaining Elms at 2pm. 

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