Springfield, Mass. - January 23, 2016 - Four players scored in double figures for the Springfield College men's basketball program as it picked up a crucial 72-67 win over Clark University in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Saturday afternoon in Blake Arena.

With the win, Springfield picked up its second conference victory of the week as it improves to 5-11 overall, and 3-3 in the league.  The setback drops Clark to 5-12, 2-4 in conference action.

 Josh Altman (Rockport, Mass.) led all players with 19 points, while  Josh Downes (East Sandwich, Mass.) tallied 16 points and eight boards.  Larry Piretra (Oakland, N.J.) added 13 points, seven boards, and three blocks and Brandon Eckles (East Greenwich, R.I.) chipped in 11 points and seven caroms of his own.  The Pride shot 27-for-58 (46.6%) from the floor, canned 6-of-12 from deep and held a 40-34 edge on the glass.

For the Cougard, both Joe Atkinson (Milford, Mass.) and Lamar Berk (Saint Augustine, Fla.) netted 15 points, with Atkinson hauling in a game-best nine boards. 

Clark jumped out to an early 7-5 advantage following a corner three from David Mercier (Milford, Mass.), before Atkinson came up with a steal and basket in transition to push the Cougars' lead to four.

Holding on to its six-point lead just over five minutes into the contest, Clark extended its lead to nine following a three-pointer from Berk, before Kevin Durkin (Worcester, Mass.) took a pass in the low-post and dunked, making it 16-9, Cougars.

Durkin's dunk was the beginning of 10 unanswered points, capped by a long two from Eckles to give the Pride a 17-16 lead with under 10 minutes to go in the first half. 

Following a basket from Quinn McKenna (Litchfield, Conn.) with 7:12 remaining in the opening stanza, Springfield siezed a 28-20 lead following a deep three from Altman and a lay-up in transition from Stanley Davis (Boston, Mass.). 

From there, Clark rattled off 12-straight points, capped by a three-pointer from Atkinson to take a 32-28 lead over the Pride with 1:45 remaining in the opening stanza. A basket from McKenna would make it a two-point game, before Eckles ended the half on a jumper making it 34-32, Clark.

Just over two minutes into the second half, Altman evened the score at 39 apiece following another three-point conversion, before giving the Pride a 42-39 lead over Clark with a triple on the ensuing possession. 

With the score even at 45, a pair of free-throws from Downes and inside bucket from Piretra gave the Pride a four-point lead, but Clark made it a one-point contest following a triple from Tyler Huffman (West Hartford, Conn.) with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game.

Six-consecutive points from Downes helped the Pride to a 56-54 lead with 6:06 remaining, before a baskets from Altman and Downes gave Springfield a 60-54 edge with under five minutes to go. Holding a 62-58 lead with under two minutes remaining, Piretra buried his third triple of the contest to give the Pride a 65-58 advantage with 1:01 on the clock. 

Clark made it a six-point game following a three-point play from Atkinson, but the Pride would seal the 72-67 win with a pair free-throws from Andy McNulty (West Springfield, Mass.) and Altman.

Springfield will play again on Monday in its final non-conference game of the season when it hosts crosstown rival Western New England at 7:30 pm.