WORCESTER -- Seniors Will Barton (Meriden, CT), Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA), Brett Marelli (Hampton, NH), and Tim Reidy (Needham, MA) combined for 50 points as the WPI men's basketball team established a new conference record with its 15th NEWMAC victory of the season as the host Engineers celebrated Senior Day with a 92-56 triumph over Wheaton on Saturday afternoon in Harrington Auditorium.

The Engineers, ranked 17th in latest D3hoops.com Top 25, move to 23-2 overall, joining the 2012-13 and 2021-22 squads for the best regular season mark in the over 100-year history of WPI men' basketball.  The win was the Crimson and Gray's 15 in a row, equaling the second most in program history (2013-14) and trailing just the 24-game streak that included the 2012 ECAC New England title and a 22-0 start of the 2012-13 campaign.  

Wheaton falls to 11-14 overall and 6-10 in conference action.  The Lyons ended the season in a three-way tie for the sixth and final NEWMAC Tournament spot with Coast Guard and Salve Regina with the CGA claiming the berth via tiebreaker.
 
The guests jumped out to an early lead behind a three-pointer from Tristan Herry (East Taunton, MA) and a smooth pull-up jumper from Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, MA). However, WPI quickly responded, as Barton added a layup and Callahan's perfect 3-for-3 trip to the free throw line evened the score at 5-5 with 16:47 to go in the first half. Sal Pedevillano (Parsippany, NJ) provided a spark for the Lyons with a rare four-point play, but J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) answered with a three-point play, igniting a 15-2 surge that propelled the Engineers to a 20-11 advantage with 12:06 remaining in the half.
 
Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, RI) kept the Lyons within reach with a smooth three-pointer, but the Crimson and Gray quickly responded. Callahan knocked down both of his free throws, and Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, TX) drained back-to-back threes, extending the hosts' lead to 28-16 with 8:50 remaining in the first half. Marelli added three buckets for the Engineers, but the Lyons battled back with a 7-0 surge, sparked by a three-point play from Morrissey. That run trimmed the deficit to 34-25 with 4:44 left in the half.
 
WPI closed the half with a dominant 11-2 run, fueled by a perfect 3-of-3 performance from beyond the arc. Reidy and Bledsoe each knocked down a three, before Justin Molen(Newark, DE) capped the surge with a buzzer-beating triple. The finish gave the Engineers their largest lead of the game, heading into the break up 49-32.
 
Marelli led the Engineers during the first half with 10 points and two boards. Callahan and Bledsoe each contributed nine points, with Callahan adding four rebounds and four assists. For the Lyons, Morissey tallied eight points and three boards. Sean Perri (West Roxbury, MA) added six points and Iafrate notched five points and two assists.
 
Marelli opened the second half with a strong driving layup, but Khaled Thaher (Amman, Jordan) answered on the other end for Wheaton. The Boynton Hillers then saw an 8-0 run, led by Callahan's four points, stretching the lead to 59-34 with 15:54 remaining. The Lyons got a boost from a three-point play by Rex Zadrozny (Cumberland, RI), but the Engineers' offense remained relentless, controlling the game the rest of the way.
 
Reidy caught fire from beyond the arc, sinking two three-pointers, while Newman added another as part of a dominant WPI run that pushed the lead to 72-37 with 10 minutes to go. The visitors got a free throw from Herry and a pull-up jumper from Tarmo Tari (Chelmsford, MA), but the Engineers remained firmly in control. Newman continued to shine, knocking down another three and finishing a strong driving layup to extend WPI's advantage even further. When the final buzzer sounded, WPI cruised to a commanding 92-56 victory.
 
Marelli and Callahan shined for the Engineers on senior night. Marelli stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. Callahan contributed another 16 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line, five boards and five assists. Reidy tallied 12 points, off of four treys, and five rebounds. Bledsoe added 12 points and five boards, and Newman tacked on 11 points. For the Lyons, 12 different players tallied points. Iafrate led with nine points, four rebounds, and two assists. Morrissey contributed eight points and three boards, Perri scored seven points and two steals, and E-Lin Gross (New York City, NY) grabbed a game-high six boards.
 
WPI made an outstanding 55.2% (32-of-58) from the court and held Wheaton to 19-of-57 (33.3%) of field goals. The Engineers saw a 16-4 advantage in fastbreak points and capitalized off an edge in points off turnovers, 24-2.
 
Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25
 
Box Score