Boston, MA --- J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) delivered a career-best performance, dropping an impressive 22 points to lead the WPI men's basketball team to a commanding 88-65 NEWMAC victory Emerson Lions on Saturday afternoon inside the newly dedicated Hank Smith Court.
 
WPI, which is ranked 22nd in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, improves to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in NEWMAC action. Emerson falls to 6-6 on the year and 1-2 in conference play.
 
Emerson dented the scoring column first after a dunk by Asher Gardiner (Christchurch, New Zealand), but the Engineers saw a 7-0 run, led by a nifty trey by Newman, to lift the score to 7-2 after 2:26 of play. After some back-and-forth action, the Lions regained the lead at 14:16 remaining with a Trevor Arico (Saline, MI) shot from downtown.
 
WPI saw a 6-0 run from 13:55 to 9:25, including a drought by both teams for 4:02 to break up the scoring run. Brett Marelli (Hampton, NH) fueled a dominant surge for the visitors, delivering a three-point play and knocking down two quick field goals in a two-minute span, pushing the Crimson and Gray's lead to 27-18 with 6:53 remaining in the first half.
 
To close the first half, the Boynton Hillers extended their lead with a 5-2 spurt, highlighted by a three-pointer from Nicholas Margetson (Baldwin, NY) and a smooth jumper from Marelli. The opening 20 minutes ended with WPI holding a 43-33 advantage.
 
Marelli dominated in the first half for the Engineers, contributing double digits in scoring with 12 on 5-7 field goal shots, and adding on four assists and a pair of steals. Newman and Tim Reidy (Needham, MA) each notched eight points and two assists. For the Lions, Lucas Brenner (Miami, FL) led with seven points, six boards, and two assists. Jacob Armant (Arlington, TX) and Linus Helmhold (Krefeld, Germany) tallied six points apiece, with Helmhold adding four rebounds.
 
The second half started as a back-and-forth affair until WPI slowly started to pull away, fueled by a 6-0 run from 17:06 to 15:05 that stemmed from consecutive field goals by Marelli, Reidy and Margetson. The Lions kept the contest within single digitis, benefiting from a pair of made free throws by Guillermo Gasset Ruiz (Malaga, Spain), a Helmhold layup, 3-of-4 shooting from two appearances at the line for Arico, which minimized the visitors lead to nine, 54-45, with 13:26 remaining.
 
Newman and Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) kick started a 15-5 run, combining for 13 of the 15 points. Newman sparked the run with a driving layup, and later hit another driving layup and ended the run with a trey. Sandwiched in between these plays, Bleier notched a three-point play and a nifty shot from downtown. The Engineers led 69-50 with 9:30 to go.
 
After more back-and-forth play, Newman drove into the lane for a skillful layup, and on the next possession drilled a three-pointer, increasing the visitors lead to 21, 79-58, with 6:32 left to play. The WPI defense held the Lions at bay for the remainder of the competition, seeing the score end at 88-65.
 
Five players on the Engineers recorded double digits in scoring. Newman paced the WPI offense with a career high 22 points, besting his previous mark of 17 points earlier this week versus Coast Guard. The junior hit 9-of-15 field goals, including four treys on the afternoon, and grabbed five boards and the lone two blocks for the Crimson and Gray. Marelli tied his career best with a dominating 17 points, adding on three steals and four assists. Reidy and Bleier tallied 15 and 13 respectively, and Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA) led the team with four caroms and seven assists, while also contributing 10 points.
 
For the Lions, Arico guided the offense with 15 points and three steals, and added on a block. Helmhold tallied 11 points and three assists, and Armant tacked on 10 points. Gasset Ruiz led the team with 4-of-4 free throw attempts and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
WPI shot 54.1% (33-of-61) from the floor on the afternoon connecting on 11 three-pointers, and secured 17 points off turnovers and 42 points in the paint. Emerson was held to 40.0% (22-of-55) of field goals with 13 second chance points.
 
Both squads turn to Clark for their next game as Emerson travels to face the Cougars for a 5pm matchup on Tuesday and WPI hosts the Clark on Thursday for a 7pm tip. 

Recap written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '25