WORCESTER -- Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA) topped five WPI players in double figure scoring as the top-seeded Engineers rallied from a 15-point first half deficit to topple fourth-seeded Emerson 93-73 in a NEWMAC Men's Basketball semifinal contest played Thursday evening in Harrington Auditorium.

The Engineers, ranked 14th in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, improve to 24-2 on the season.  WPI will host second-seeded Clark in Saturday's championship game at 2pm.  Emerson concluded its season with a 13-14 record.
 
WPI struck first as Callahan floated in a smooth jumper, but the Lions roared back when Trevor Arico (Saline, MI) pulled up for a mid-range shot with 18:25 on the clock, igniting an early 14-0 run. Linus Helmhold (Krefeld, Germany) kept the momentum rolling with a three-pointer and a strong finish at the rim, while Guillermo Gasset Ruiz (Malaga, Spain) chipped in with a pair of field goals, pushing the Lions ahead 14-2 with 14:11 left in the first half.
 
The Engineers found a spark when Callahan knocked down both free throws, followed by a three from J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) on the next possession. Asher Gardiner (Christchurch, New Zealand) powered inside for back-to-back layups, but Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) beat the shot clock with a clutch three-pointer to cut the deficit to 18-10 in favor of Emerson with 11:19 left in the half. The Lions responded as Giulio Volonte (Milan, Italy) added a step-back jumper and a layup, while Arico cut through the defense for a driving layup. Newman answered with a pull-up jumper for the hosts, but the visitors remained in control, leading 24-12 with under 10 minutes to play in the first half.
 
Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, TX) and Joe Pebley (Fort Worth, TX) ignited a surge for the Engineers.  Bledsoe did it offensively with a strong layup, then followed up with a deep three-pointer to kickstart a 10-0 run while Pebley, forced into action due to WPI frontcourt foul trouble, played excellent interior defense, registering a +12 plus/minus in six first half minutes of action.  Newman and Tim Reidy (Needham, MA) each knocked down turnaround jumpers, and Bledsoe capped off the rally with another long-range triple, cutting the deficit to 29-24 as WPI clawed back into the game.
 
The Crimson and Gray continued to chip away at the deficit, pulling within three after a strong driving layup from Callahan. Bledsoe kept the momentum rolling, drilling another clutch three-pointer to knot the game at 35-35, which was the first tie since the early minutes. Just before the break, Emerson regained the edge as Volonte powered in a layup with two seconds on the clock, sending the Lions into halftime with a narrow 37-35 lead.
 
In the first half, Emerson held a 21-12 advantage in rebounds and 22-6 advantage of points in the paint. Bledsoe led the Engineers with 13 points including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Newman added nine points while Callahan tacked on six points and three assists. For the Lions, Helmhold and Arico each contributed nine points, with Helmhold grabbing seven rebounds and two assists. Gardiner and Volonte each tallied six points with Gardiner seeing 3-of-3 shooting from field goal range.
 
To open the second half, Callahan drilled a deep three to give the Engineers the lead. However, Lucas Brenner (Miami, FL) answered right back with a triple of his own for Emerson, only for Newman to bank in another three on the next possession, putting WPI ahead 41-40 with 18:08 to play. Callahan stayed hot, rattling off seven straight points with a three-pointer and back-to-back layups, but Emerson stayed within reach as Gasset Ruiz added a layup and Brenner sank both free throws. With 15:56 remaining, WPI held a slim 48-45 advantage.
 
Justin Molen (Newark, DE) gave WPI a boost, knocking down a smooth three-pointer and adding a layup, but Helmhold kept Emerson in the mix with a powerful dunk in between Molen's buckets. With 14:43 left, WPI held a 53-47 edge. Jacob Armant (Arlington, TX) went 3-for-4 at the free throw line, but the Engineers kept the pressure on as Bleier drained another three and Newman drove in for a tough layup, extending WPI's lead to 58-50 with 13:53 to play.
 
After a back-and-forth stretch, Armant knocked down a pull-up trey to trim Emerson's deficit to seven, but the hosts responded with back-to-back field goals from Bleier and Callahan, extending their lead to 66-55 with 9:14 remaining. Arico answered with a three-pointer to pull the Lions back within single digits, but Callahan responded with a smooth floating jump shot to make it 68-58 with 6:56 to go. Emerson then surged with an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to four, 70-66, with 4:28 to play. The run was sparked by Hank Gramlich (Dallas, TX), who hit 3-of-4 free throws, and capped off by a clutch three from Volonte.
 
Reidy drained a three-pointer, and the Engineers capitalized with 7-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line, along with layups from Callahan and Bleier, fueling a late 14-0 run that pushed WPI's lead to 18 at 84-66 with 1:12 remaining. Emerson fought back with a turnaround shot from Armant and a three-pointer from Arico, but it wasn't enough as WPI sealed the game with a 93-73 victory.
 
Callahan led the Engineers with 26 points, seven assists and a block. Bledsoe tied his career-high of 16 points off 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range and five rebounds, while Bleier contributed a career-high 15 points. Newman tacked on 14 points and three rebounds and Reidy added 11 points, five boards and two steals. For the Lions, Arico tallied 17 points and two assists. Helmhold notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds and added four assists. Armant registered 11 points, three boards, two assists and a steal.
 
WPI shot 51.7% (30-of-58) of field goals while the Lions made 26-of-63 (41.3%) on the game. The Engineers saw a 19-4 edge in points off turnovers while the Lions held a 42-28 advantage in rebounds.

Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25