WORCESTER -- No. 22 WPI held off a late Clark push as the Engineers earned a 76-72 road victory in a rematch of last season's NEWMAC Tournament title game Saturday afternoon inside the Kneller Athletic Center. With the win, WPI improves to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in NEWMAC play, while Clark drops to 6-4 on the season and 1-1 in the conference.
 
Senior J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) powered the Engineers with a team-high 16 points, converting 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Justin Molen (Newark, DE) and Tim Reidy (Needham, MA) added 13 points each, with Molen adding seven rebounds and handing out a game-high seven assists. Reidy turned in a sharp 3-for-5 effort from beyond the arc and went 4-for-4 at the line. Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) supplied a major lift off the bench with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and five rebounds, part of a 31-12 advantage in bench scoring that proved crucial.
 
Clark was led by a solid outing from Reid Neumann (Burbank, CA), who scored a game-best 19 points and knocked down five threes, while Boluwasefe John (Corona, NY) controlled the paint with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Trace Clark (Plano, TX) added 10 points for the Cougars.
 
WPI raced out to a 21-9 lead midway through the first half behind early sharpshooting, but Clark countered with a 23-11 run punctuated by consecutive threes from Neumann to edge in front, 32-30, with under two minutes left in the period. Bleier's late layup and a pair of free throws from Newman steadied the Engineers and sent them into the locker room with a narrow 36-34 advantage.
 
The second half featured eight ties and eight lead changes. Clark briefly grabbed a 50-49 edge with 11:33 to play, their final lead of the afternoon, before WPI answered with a 9-2 stretch that included a corner three from Reidy and a finish at the rim by Newman to build a 58-52 advantage. The Cougars clawed back within two on multiple occasions, including when Neumann buried a deep three with 1:01 remaining to trim the margin to 74-72.
 
From there, WPI was solid at the line to finish things out. Reidy converted four straight free throws in the closing seconds, and the Engineers secured critical defensive rebounds to prevent Clark from generating a final look at the basket.
 
Both teams finished with 34 rebounds, though WPI held a 28-20 edge on the defensive glass, limiting Clark to nine second-chance points. The Engineers shot 49% from the field and tallied 18 assists on 22 made baskets.
 
WPI returns home after final exams to host St. Lawrence on Tuesday, December 30 at 1pm. Clark travels to Tufts for a New Year's Eve matchup on Wednesday, December 31 at 1pm.