The Pride improved to 12-4 overall and 3-2 in the NEWMAC. Junior forward Joel Aponte (Windsor, Conn.), who led SC with 14 points and seven rebounds, stole the Cougars’ inbound pass with :03 left and hit two free throws to ice the victory. Junior guard Derek Yvon (East Longmeadow, Mass.) had 12 points, and junior forward Mike DeCesar (Acton, Mass.) added 10 points and four steals.
The Cougars (5-11, 1-4 NEWMAC) received a game-high 19 points from junior forward Tim Dutille (Sunapee, N.H.), and freshman guard Pat Ochoa (Springfield, Mass.) added 12 points and hit 4-of-4 three-point attempts. Sophomore guard Cory Szkalrz (Worcester, Mass.) chipped in with 13 points and seven boards.
SC, which led 35-27 at intermission, held the Cougars scoreless for the first 5:27 of the second half and took a 12-point lead, the Pride’s biggest of the game, when Yvon hit a lay-up to make it 39-27 at 15:28. Clark chipped away at the lead, however, closing within three (45-42) after a three-point play by Szkalrz with 9:13 to play. SC answered with an 8-2 run over the next 2:40, capped by a jumper by sophomore forward Damian Farley (Natick, Mass.), and led 53-44 with 6:33 remaining. Clark responded a 16-6 surge over a 5:07 span to take a 60-59 lead on Dutille’s lay-in with 1:12 left. With Clark ahead, 61-59, SC’s Aponte tied the game with :58 left with two free throws. On the Cougars’ next possession, Dutille missed a lay-up, setting up Marian’s game-winning bucket off a feed from freshman guard Jamaal Gibbs (Norwalk, Conn.) with :05 on the clock. Gibbs had a season-high nine points in 22 minutes off the bench.