Bench Keys Men's Basketball to 76-55 Victory Against Springfield
Jeffrey Robinson
WPI 76, Springfield 55
Worcester, MA --- Jerome Kirkland (Boston, MA) and Jeffrey Robinson (Granby, CT) combined for 33 points off the bench to help spark host WPI to a 76-55 win over Springfield in NEWMAC men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, WPI improves to 10-3 on the year and 2-0 in conference play while Springfield dips to 7-6 overall and 0-1 in NEWMAC action.
In his first game of the season as a reserve, Kirkland paced WPI with 17 points, including 11 in the first half. He also led all players with five assists and four steals on the day. Robinson added 16 points, connecting on 7-of-12 shots from field, including both of his 3-point attempts. For the game, the WPI bench outscored their Springfield counterparts by a 45-8 margin.
The Engineers trailed 5-2 in the early going before embarking upon a 12-2 run to take a lead they would not relinquish. WPI took a 36-28 advantage into the locker room at intermission then used a 11-2 spurt midway through the second half to secure to victory. WPI shot an impressive 57.1% in the second half and allowed Springfield to connect on just 1-of-11 3-point attempts in the game.
NT Izuchi (Boston, MA) tallied 10 points for the Crimson and Gray for the second straight game while Ben Etten (Hollis, NH) chipped in with nine points and Fernando Perez (Lowell, MA) hauled in a game-best nine rebounds.
Pat Crean (Sleepy Hollow, NY) led all players with 19 points for Springfield. He canned 6-of-7 field half shots en route to registering 14 first stanza points. Matthew Cavalieri (West Warwick, RI) notched 12 points and six board for the Pride while Danny White (Melrose, NY) collected nine points and dished out three assists.
WPI ventures outside the NEWMAC for its next contest, traveling to Trinity on Tuesday for a 7pm match-up. Springfield returns to Worcester on Wednesday at 5pm to take on Clark in a NEWMAC affair.