WPI 67, Curry 51

Box Score

Milton, MA --- Freshman Jerome Stewart (Bloomfield, CT) highlighted four Engineer players in double figures with a career-high 14 points to pace nationally-ranked WPI to 67-51 non-conference win over host Curry in men's basketball action on Tuesday evening.

The Engineers, ranked 17th in the latest D3hoops.com top-25, improve to 6-0 on the season, their most wins to start a campaign since they rattled off 10 to commence the 2005-06 schedule.

Stewart connected on 7-10 shots from the field and added six rebounds and two steals. He keyed a WPI inside game that out-rebounded the Colonels by a 44-24 margin and scored all 15 of the game's second-chance points.

The Crimson and Gray also enjoyed a lofty 36-16 advantage in points in the paint and saw its reserves outscore their Curry counterparts by a 33-13 margin.  Ben Etten (Hollis, NH) added 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds while Jeffrey Robinson (Granby, CT) and Fernando Perez (Lowell, MA) chipped in with 11 and 10 points respectively. 

Mark Mastrullo (Billerica, MA) led the Curry offensive charge with 14 points to go along with three assists and a game-best three steals. Kuashed Simmons (Patterson, NJ) collected 13 points for the hosts while Michael Connery (Narragansett, RI) had 11.

WPI took a 37-31 lead into the locker room at the break and limited Curry to just four second-half field goals on 22.2% (4-18) from the floor. 

The Engineers were playing their first game as a nationally-ranked team since the end of the 2007 regular season.  Only twice in the 10-season history of the poll has a team debuted in a higher position in the regular season after not even receiving votes in the previous poll.

Both teams will return to action on Thursday.  WPI will play the middle game of a three-game road trip and its fifth-straight versus a team that appeared in the 2008 Division III NCAA Tournament when they travel to Salem State.  Curry (0-5) entertains Wheelock.  Both games are slated for a 7pm tip-off.

Story written by Mark Aaronson (Coatesville, PA)