Springfield, MA --- Brett Marelli (Hampton, NH) continued his run of strong play with 21 points to help the nationally-ranked WPI men's basketball team grind out a 58-52 NEWMAC road triumph over Springfield Wednesday evening inside Blake Arena.

WPI climbs to 22-2 overall and 14-1 in conference action. The Engineers, ranked 17th in latest D3hoops.com Top 25, have won 14 straight contests. Springfield falls to 10-14 on the season and 7-8 in NEWMAC play.
 
The Crimson and Gray came out strong with an 8-0 run to open the game, capped off by Tim Reidy (Needham, MA), who knocked down a driving layup and a three-pointer. Springfield responded with a 5-0 burst, fueled by a three-point play from Josh Hartley (Brooklyn, NY), trimming the deficit to 8-5 with 13:15 left in the half. The Engineers regained momentum with back-to-back threes from Nicholas Margetson (Baldwin, NY) and Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, TX), extending their lead to 14-7 at the 11:03 mark. Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA) then scored five straight points to push WPI to its first double-digit advantage, 19-9, with 7:58 remaining before halftime.
 
After some back-and-forth play, Springfield tightened the gap with a 7-0 run, sparked by a Hunter Matteson (Dartmouth, MA) layup, followed by a basket from John Paulino (New Bedford, MA), and capped off with two free throws from Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, MA), making it a 22-18 game with 4:15 left in the half. Brett Marelli (Hampton, NH) responded for WPI with back-to-back field goals, but the Pride answered with an 8-0 surge, fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Xoren Livingston (Wayland, MA), tying the game at 26-26 with 1:38 remaining. Marelli delivered once more before the buzzer, sinking a layup to send WPI into the break with a slim 28-26 advantage.
 
Marelli led with seven points at halftime for Engineers and added three rebounds. Reidy, Callahan, and Justin Molen (Newark, DE) each tallied five points, with Molen contributing four boards and two assists. For the Pride, Livingston reached double-digit scoring in the first half with 10 points and three rebounds. Flynn and Cedric Rodriguez (Burlington, MA) each notched four points, with Flynn adding a steal.
 
WPI came out strong to open the second half, igniting a 9-1 run powered by a pair of field goals each from J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) and Marelli, pushing the Engineers to a double-digit advantage at 37-27 with 16:03 remaining. Marelli and Springfield's Hartley then traded two baskets apiece, keeping WPI in front 41-31 with just over 13 minutes to play. The Pride responded with two free throws from Josiah Evely (Toronto, ON) and a clutch three-pointer from Livingston, but Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) answered with a deep shot of his own to maintain WPI's lead at 44-36 with 10:28 to go. The hosts continued to battle, cutting the deficit to four after a Paulino layup, but Bleier knocked down a jumper and Newman buried a three to keep the Engineers in control, 49-42, with six minutes left on the clock.
 
Marelli extended WPI's lead with a layup, but Springfield made a late push as Curtiss Blische (Barkhamsted, CT) converted a three-point play and Livingston knocked down a turnaround jumper, cutting the deficit to 51-47 with 4:12 remaining. Marelli responded with back-to-back layups to keep the Crimson and Gray in front, 55-50, with under two minutes to play. Both teams struggled to score down the stretch until Newman stepped to the free-throw line with 16 seconds left, sinking both shots to extend WPI's lead to seven. Paulino answered with two free throws for the Pride with six seconds remaining, but Callahan sealed the win at the line with four seconds to go. WPI secured a hard-fought 58-52 victory, earning a NEWMAC triumph on the road.
 
Marelli carried the Engineers with 21 points and four rebounds. Newman stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, six boards, one assist and four steals. Callahan contributed seven points and five caroms. Molen, Bleier, and Reidy each added five points, with Molen grabbing 10 rebounds and having four assists. Springfield was led by Livingston with 17 points and three rebounds. 
 
WPI shot 37.1% (23-of-62) from the court while Springfield made 17-of-51 (33.3%) of field goals. The Engineers held an advantage in points in the paint, 30-20, and a slight edge in second chance points, 11-8. 
 
Both squads close out NEWMAC and regular season action on Saturday. WPI welcomes Wheaton for a 2pm matchup while Springfield takes a trip to Worcester to face off against Clark at 1pm.
 
Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25