WORCESTER, Mass. – The Clark University men's basketball team held Wentworth Institute of Technology without a basket over the final 18-plus minutes and the host Cougars erased and ten-point second half deficit to remain undefeated with a 69-51 win over the visiting Leopards in non-league men's basketball action on Thursday evening.
The Scarlet and White improve to 4-0 for the first time since the 1989-90 season, while Wentworth slips to 1-2, having dropped its second straight contest.
Things were going in the Leopards' favor in the first 20 minutes as they shot a sizzling 61 percent from the field (14-for-23) as the interior combination of John-Michael Fragnoli (Scotia, N.Y.) and Derek Mayo (Casco, Maine) pounded the Cougars to the tune of 21 points on a combined 9-for-9 shooting.
Despite their offensive struggles, Clark stayed within striking distance. After a Mayo triple, the Cougars found themselves down by six (22-16) but they were able to chip away and went into the half down only three at 34-31 courtesy of a Joseph Atkinson (Milford, Mass.) buzzer-beating layup in traffic.
The opening minutes of the second half looked to be a replay of the first after a conventional three-point play from Ronnie Turner (Lewiston, Maine) and fast break layups by Cam Sennick (Wilton, Maine) and Ray Bessette (Dedham, Maine) saw the visitors increase their advantage to 41-33.
Nearly three minutes went by before Mayo tacked on two free throws, giving Wentworth its biggest lead of the game at 43-33 with 15:30 to play.
Clark answered back with a game-sealing 28-6 run over the next 12 plus minutes that when the dust cleared the Cougars were holding a commanding 61-49 lead with less than three minutes to go.
During the game altering stretch, Clark forced ten Leopard turnovers and held them to 0-for-8 shooting from the field.
The run was ignited by junior Connor Dow (Needham, Mass.), who scored nine of his career-high 14 points during the spurt, highlighted by a jump hook in the paint, a three-pointer and an offensive rebound and putback.
Not to be outdone, Marcus Armstrong (Malden, Mass.) played a huge role in the run, scoring on the fast break off a feed from Lucas LaLima (Colts Neck, N.J.), dropping in a short jumper and nailing a three-pointer of his own.
Clark's lead ballooned to as many as 18, as they made 6-of-8 free throws in the final two minutes to put the game out of reach.
In the end, Bessette's fast break finish at 18:12 was Wentworth's last basket as they missed their final 12 shots of the half and committed 17 of their 25 turnovers in the final 20 minutes.
The Cougars scored 27 points off of the Leopards' miscues and the Clark reserves – led by Dow and Armstrong - held a 39-13 edge in points scored.
Despite the interior presence for Wentworth, the Cougars actually held a 38-27 edge on the glass – including corralling 22 offensive rebounds.
Fragnoli and Mayo led the way for Leopards with each finishing with 12 points and Turner and Bessette both had nine. Mayo added five rebounds and a game-high five steals in his 31 minutes of action.
Clark, meanwhile, was paced by Tyler Huffman (West Hartford, Conn.), who ended with a career-high 16 points, while Armstrong chipped in with a season-best 11.
Andrew Musler (Belmont, Mass.), Nicholas DaPrato (Marshfield, Mass.) and Jake Gubitose (Fiskdale, Mass.) all totaled six points and Musler grabbed a game-best nine rebounds.
Both teams are back in action Saturday with non-conference road contests. Wentworth travels to Tufts for a 2:00 p.m. showdown with the Jumbos, while Clark visits Western New England for a meeting with the Golden Bears at 1:00 p.m.
(Recap Courtesy of Clark Sports Information)
