WPI Outlasts Husson in NCAA First Round Action
WORCESTER -- Tim Reidy (Needham, MA) and Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA) both notched 27 points and J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) chipped in with 12 as WPI opened the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament with a hard-earned 81-71 victory over visiting Husson in a first-round contest played Friday evening inside Harrington Auditorium.
The Engineers, ranked 19th in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, improves to 25-3 on the season and will advance to Saturday's second round where they will host Ithaca, an 80-69 winner earlier Friday versus Stockton, in a 5:30pm tipoff. Husson, champions of the North Atlantic Conference for the past two seasons, concludes its 2024-25 campaign at 21-8.
Jeremy Moronta (Brooklyn, NY) got Husson on the board with a three-pointer, but Justin Molen (Newark, DE) quickly responded with a trey of his own, sparking a barrage of long-range shots for the Engineers. Moronta drilled another triple for the Eagles, and Scott Lewis (South Portland, ME) added a layup, but Reidy answered with a three, followed by a three-point play from Newman, putting the Engineers ahead 9-8 with 15:50 remaining in the first half.
Lewis drove to the hoop for the Eagles, knotting the score at 11-11, but after some back-and-forth action, WPI began to take control. The Engineers erupted for a 9-0 run, fueled by three-pointers, with one from Callahan and two from Reidy, pushing their lead to double digits at 25-15 with 8:29 remaining in the first half. Husson's Tope Alao (New York City, NY) went 2-for-2 from the line, but Reidy matched him with a pair of free throws for WPI. Riles Neff (Camarillo, CA) powered through for two driving layups for the Eagles, but Callahan responded with five straight points, keeping WPI in command, 33-23, with 4:36 to go before halftime.
Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) knocked down a three-pointer, and Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, TX) went a perfect 2-for-2 from the line, pushing the Crimson and Gray to its largest lead of the game at 16, 39-23, with 2:38 left in the first half. However, Husson responded with a late 7-0 surge, fueled in part by three points from Connor Heald (Lakewood Ranch, FL), cutting into the deficit. As the teams headed to the locker room, WPI held a 39-30 advantage at halftime.
Callahan and Reidy each tallied 11 points for the Engineers during the first half, with Reidy grabbing three boards. Newman contributed five points and two assists. For the Eagles, Moronta and Neff each notched eight points and three rebounds, while Lewis chipped in with seven points and three boards as well.
The second half opened with a defensive battle, as Husson managed just 2-for-4 shooting from the free-throw line while both teams remained scoreless from the field for the first 4:06. WPI finally broke the drought with back-to-back three-pointers from Newman and Reidy, extending the Engineers' lead to 45-32 with 15:30 remaining in the game.
After a brief scoring lull of over two minutes, Neff banked in a three-pointer for Husson, but WPI's Reidy quickly answered with a trey of his own, followed by a strong driving layup to push the lead to 50-35 with 12:17 remaining. Ty Henke (Topsham, ME) knocked down a three for the Eagles, but Callahan responded in kind for the Engineers. Lewis added a free throw and a driving layup for Husson, but Reidy stayed hot, drilling another three to keep WPI in control.
Husson made a push with back-to-back layups, cutting the deficit to single digits at 56-47. However, Brett Marelli (Hampton, NH) responded with a layup for WPI, and Callahan drained another three-pointer, extending the Engineers' lead to 61-48 with 6:28 remaining. Moronta answered for the Eagles with a three-point play, but Reidy continued his hot shooting, sinking another trey for WPI. Lewis kept Husson in the fight with five straight points, scoring on a layup and a three-pointer. However, Newman delivered a dagger for the Crimson and Gray, completing a rare four-point play to push WPI's lead to 70-58 with just 3:33 left on the clock.
WPI maintained control for the remainder of the game, keeping Husson at bay despite back-and-forth trips to the free-throw line. Callahan was clutch down the stretch, going a perfect 8-for-8 at the line to help seal the victory for the Engineers. Alao battled for Husson, contributing a three-point play, a layup, and three additional points from the stripe, but it wasn't enough to close the gap. WPI closed out the game with an 81-71 win.
Reidy and Callahan each tallied 27 points en route to the WPI victory. Callahan saw 10-for-10 from the line and added four assists and a block. Reidy saw a career-high in points, as well as notching a career-high 7-of-14 from beyond the arc. Newman contributed 12 points and two steals. For Husson, Lewis led with 18 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Moronta stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, eight boards, four assists, and one steal. Alao added 12 points and four caroms, and Neff helped with 11 points and two assists.
Husson made 46.2% (24-of-52) while holding WPI to shooting 21-of-53 (39.6%) of field goals. The Eagles held a 41-27 edge in rebounds and 30-8 advantage in points in the paint, while the Engineers saw a 18-2 upper hand in fastbreak points.
Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25