Fredericksburg, VA --- The WPI men's basketball team saw its 2025-26 season come to an end on Friday evening as the Engineers fell to Amherst, 63-46, in the NCAA Division III Tournament First Round at Mary Washington.
 
The Mammoths improve to 19-7 overall and advance to Saturday's second round where they will face the winner of Mary Washington and Worcester State at 7:30pm. WPI concludes its season with a 21-6 mark.
 
Amherst entered the contest ranked second in the nation in scoring defense and first nationally in three-point percentage defense, the latter a category WPI led the nation in a season ago. The Mammoths used that defensive strength to limit the Engineers to just 29.4% shooting from the field and 2-of-23 from behind the arc. Amherst also controlled the glass with a 46-31 rebounding advantage, including 38 defensive boards.
 
The Crimson and Gray defensive effort was strong, holding the Mammoths to just a trio of 3-pointers on 18 tries (16.7%) and the Engineers committed just six turnovers in the contest
 
WPI took an early lead in the opening minutes and led 6-3 at the 17:13 mark before Amherst used a 12-2 run to move in front midway through the first half. The Mammoths pushed the advantage to eight with just over three minutes remaining in the period, but the Engineers closed the half with a 5-0 run, including a basket in the final minute, to cut the deficit to 27-24 at the break.
 
Amherst opened the second half by extending its lead and gradually built the advantage to double digits midway through the period. WPI pulled within one, 37-36, on a three-pointer by J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) with 9:54 remaining, but Amherst answered with one last run to regain control and finish out the victory.
 
Newman and Nicholas Margetson (Baldwin, NY) led WPI with 11 points each with Margetson adding five assists. Justin Molen (Newark, DE) and Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, TX) each grabbed nine rebounds, while Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) chipped in six points off the bench.
 
Elias Chin (Thousand Oaks, CA) paced Amherst with a game-high 20 points while K.J. Neville (North Memphis, TN) added 16 points. Drew Martin (West Roxbury, MA) contributed nine points and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Chris Hammond (Chicago, IL) aided the Mammoth effort on the glass with 12 rebounds.
 
The loss concludes another successful campaign for WPI, which finished with 21 victories, captured its fifth straight NEWMAC regular season crown and 14th overall under head coach Chris Bartley and earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the second consecutive season. The Engineers have now recorded 20 or more wins for six-straight seasons and the 19th occasion during Bartley's 25-year tenure on Boynton Hill.

The contest also marked the final appearance for five Crimson and Gray players, including graduate students Tim Reidy (Needham, MA) and Margetson and seniors Newman, Matt Morvillo (Bedford, MA) and Adam Patterson (New York, NY).