Quentin Pridgen nailed 6-of-7 3-point attempts, and teammate Bruce Saintilus (6'4''-G) was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as second-seeded Clark upset top-seeded and nationally-ranked WPI 80-65 in the championship game of the 2025 NEWMAC Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday afternoon inside WPI’s Harrington Auditorium.
Clark improves its record to 18-9 on the season, claiming its fifth NEWMAC Tournament crown and earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Engineers, ranked 14th in the latest D3hoops.comTop 25, saw their 16-game winning-streak (the second longest in school history) snapped, and falls to 24-3. The Crimson and Gray, who entered the day ninth overall in the NCAA’s NPI (the new metric to select teams and guide seeding/hosting) and slipped to 14th postgame in D3Datacast’s real-time rankings, are nearly assured an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and remains in the mix to host one of the 16 first and second round hosts. Selections and hosts will be announced at noon on Monday at NCAA.com.
Isaiah Taylor got the scoring started with a layup off an offensive rebound by Kekoa McArdle (6'8''-F) for Clark, but Justin Molen (6'6''-G) quickly responded with a layup at the other end. Jordan Richard (6'3''-G) added another layup before WPI found its rhythm from deep, as J.R. Newman and Aidan Callahan each drained a three-pointer to give WPI an 8-4 lead with 17:31 remaining in the first half.
The Engineers surged ahead with an 8-0 run, fueled by three-pointers from Molen and Brett Marelli (6'7''-F), along with a layup from Jack Bleier (6'3''-G), extending the lead to 17-8 with 13:08 remaining in the first half. The Cougars responded as Pridgen knocked down a three-pointer, trimming the deficit to 17-11.
With under nine minutes remaining in the first half, the visitors closed the gap to just two after a three-pointer from Reid Neumann (6'6''-G) and another from Pridgen, making it 19-17. WPI responded with a Marelli hook shot, but Pridgen stayed hot from deep, drilling another trey to bring Clark within one at 21-20 with 7:14 left. Pridgen struck again to tie the game at 23-23, and the Cougars reclaimed the lead after Taylor went 1-for-2 at the free throw line.
The hosts responded with a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead at 30-24, highlighted by Tim Reidy going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line and nailing a clutch three-pointer. However, Saintilus answered with a trey of his own, cutting the deficit to 30-27 with 3:28 remaining in the half. Clark then surged ahead with an 8-0 run, capped by a three-point play from Taylor. WPI fought back before the break, as Marelli knocked down a floater, and the Engineers held the Cougars scoreless on the final possession, sending the game into halftime with Clark holding a narrow 35-34 lead.
At the half, Marelli led the Engineers with 10 points and five rebounds. Molen notched seven points and four boards, while Reidy and Newman each contributed five points. For the Cougars, Pridgen tallied 15 points off 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and four rebounds. Taylor pitched in with eight points and three assists, and Saintilus added five points and four boards.
Clark came out of halftime firing, as Richard drilled a quick three-pointer and Taylor powered through for a driving layup, extending the Cougars’ lead to 40-34 with 18:32 remaining. The visitors continued to build momentum, with Neumann sinking another trey and Boluwasefe John knocking down both free throws, pushing their advantage to double digits, the largest lead of the game, at 47-37 with 14:46 to play.
The Cougars capitalized at the free-throw line, going 4-for-6, while WPI fought to stay in the game with a hook shot from Newman and a clutch three-pointer by Nathan Bledsoe (6'2''-G), cutting the deficit to 55-44 with 9:27 remaining. John responded by sinking two more free throws, pushing Clark’s lead back to 13. Bledsoe kept the Crimson and Grey in the fight with another trey, but Neumann answered right back with a three-pointer of his own at the other end.
WPI mounted an 8-0 surge to stay in the fight, with Marelli contributing a free throw and a hook shot, while Callahan knocked down a crucial three-pointer, trimming the deficit to just three at 60-57 with 5:42 left. However, McArdle came up big for Clark with a strong layup, and Pridgen followed with a driving finish, pushing the Cougars’ lead back to seven, 64-57, with 3:24 remaining.
Callahan went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line, but the Cougars extended its lead as John sank both of his attempts, followed by Saintilus converting another perfect trip at the line to make it 68-58 with 2:13 remaining. Bledsoe answered with a clutch three-pointer at the other end with 1:57 to play, but Saintilus returned to the line, going 1-for-2 and securing his own rebound, which led to a Pridgen three-pointer, stretching Clark’s lead to 72-61 with 1:36 left.
Callahan was fouled on a layup and knocked down both free throws for the Engineers, cutting the deficit to 72-63 with 1:26 to go. However, Taylor and Newman each added two points at the line for Clark, making it 74-65 with 1:09 remaining. The Cougars controlled the final minute, sealing the upset victory over No. 1 WPI.
For the Engineers, Marelli stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and one block. Callahan contributed 13 points, a steal and a block. Newman tallied 11 points, five boards and four assists. Bledsoe added nine points and three boards. For the Cougars, Pridgen led with 23 points, including 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range, and grabbed eight rebounds. Taylor and Saintilus each notched 14 points, with Saintilus grabbing nine rebounds and seven assists. Neumann and John each totaled 10 points.
WPI shot 42.6% (20-of-47) while Clark made 23-of-63 (36.5%). The Cougars saw an advantage in offensive rebounds, 17-4, resulting in an 19-5 edge in second chance points.

NEWMAC Final:
WPI - Clark 65-80

NEWMAC Semifinals:
WPI - Emerson 93-73
Clark - Coast Guard 71-53

NEWMAC Quarterfinals:
Emerson - Springfield 67-50
Babson - Coast Guard 80-69

Courtesy of newmacsports.com