The Clark University Cougars hosted the M.I.T Engineers in a bounce back win on Saturday, Jan. 18. The Kneller was lively, with over 300 fans packing the stands for this NEWMAC bout. The match was close for the entire 40 minutes and came down to the wire with the teams tied up at 71-71 with under a minute remaining.
With a riled up crowd chanting “Defense”, the Cougars came out of the timeout with 0:51 on the clock, and granted the fans their wish. MIT’s Spencer Lin came up empty on a layup, granting Clark sophomore Quentin Pridgen the steal off of a rebound. Clark called timeout, giving the Cougars a chance to reset their offense.
The tension was palpable in the Kneller, and the fans were on their feet. Clark inbounded the ball to Senior Bruce Saintilus, who slashed into the painted area and shot a tough layup, putting the Cougars up two. The crowd exploded as M.I.T was forced to use their last timeout. The Engineers were unable to respond, and the game was over. This victory puts Clark at 9-7 for the season, and 5-2 for NEWMAC games.
I asked Head Coach Tyler Simms what was said in the timeout before the game winning play. “Much wasn’t said in the timeout, aside from how to execute the last play,” Simms stated. “Bruce had been able to get to the paint at will so we drew up a set to create a gap for him, and the other 4 guys did a great job executing their cuts and screens to allow Bruce to drive by his man.” Simms also commented on the Cougars abilities on the other end of the floor. “The key to that play, however, was our defense on the previous possession. We had all 5 defenders locked in so MIT couldn’t execute their play – that gave us a chance to win it on the other end.”
Overall, the game was back and forth, with 14 lead changes and 12 tied scores each. Despite having a poor shooting night, where Clark succeeded was their production off the bench, with 19 bench points compared to MIT’s 3. Clark also had a slight edge in points in the paint, and points gained off of the fast break.
Saintilus put up 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals, capping off a phenomenal day with his game winning layup. Freshman John Boluwasefe brought great energy off the bench with 11 points, giving Clark’s offense the boost they needed to grab this thrilling victory.
Roll Cougs!
