WORCESTER -- Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, TX) notched a career-high 22 points and four others reached double digits in scoring to hoist WPI to a tough 79-71 triumph over Ithaca in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday evening in Harrington Auditorium. 

The Engineers, ranked 19th in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25, climb to 26-3 overall, and will move on to next week's Sweet 16 matchup where they will face third-ranked Wesleyan, an 82-60 winner Saturday over Gettysburg, in a sectional semifinal on Friday evening.  The host of the four-team sectional, which will also feature No.8 Emory (GA) and Mary Washington (VA) will be announced either later tonight or Sunday but is expected to be Wesleyan.  The Crimson and Gray will be making their fourth Round of 16 appearance, joining the 1984-85, 2004-05 and 2021-22 squads.
 
Ithaca concludes its year with a 19-10 record on the season.
 
WPI struck first as Tim Reidy (Needham, MA) drilled a deep three to ignite the scoring, with Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA) following up with another triple to keep the momentum rolling. On the other end, Evan Cabral (Hackensack, NJ) powered through traffic for a tough layup, putting the Bombers on the board. Chris Leysath (Rochester, NY) kept the energy high for Ithaca, sinking a layup and a three-pointer to edge the visitors ahead 7-6 with 17:11 left in the first half.
 
Bledsoe knocked down a three, and Justin Molen (Newark, DE) followed up with a strong layup, pushing the Engineers ahead 11-7. However, Ithaca responded swiftly as Jaylon O'Neal (Ilion, NY) buried a triple, and Leysath capitalized on solid defensive play with a smooth pull-up jumper to keep the game tight.
 
Alex Penders (Foxborough, MA) caught fire from beyond the arc, sinking two triples, but J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) answered with a three and a jumper to keep the Engineers within reach. Penders' second three-pointer sparked a dominant 9-0 run for the Bombers, highlighted by back-to-back buckets from Jose Padilla (Newton, MA). Reidy finally halted the streak with a clutch trey for WPI, cutting the deficit to 24-23 in favor of Ithaca with 7:36 remaining in the first half.
 
WPI regained the lead as Molen powered through the defense for a driving layup, followed by a deep three from Bledsoe. However, Penders continued his hot shooting, knocking down another triple to keep Ithaca within striking distance at 28-27 with 3:55 left in the half. Bledsoe and Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) added key buckets for WPI, extending the lead to six, the largest of the game, at 33-27 with 2:48 to go. The teams traded baskets in the final minutes, but the Engineers held onto a 37-32 advantage heading into halftime.
 
Reidy, Bledsoe and Molen each contributed eight points during the first half for the Crimson and Gray, with Bleier grabbing four rebounds and Callahan tallying four assists. For the Bombers, Penders led with nine points, shooting 3-of-4 from the three-point line. Leysath added eight points and one block, and O'Neal tacked on five points and four boards.
 
Ithaca came out strong to open the second half, as Leysath and O'Neal knocked down key buckets to put the Bombers ahead 39-37 with 17:00 left. But the hosts quickly turned up the intensity, responding with a dominant 9-0 run. Callahan sparked the surge with a driving layup, while Bledsoe added five points to fuel the Engineers. Logan Wendell (Bradford, VT) finally snapped the streak for the visitors with a tough layup, cutting the deficit to 46-41 in favor of WPI with 14:45 remaining.
 
Reidy and Bledsoe stayed hot from deep, each drilling a three-pointer to extend WPI's lead, while O'Neal went 2-for-4 from the free-throw line for Ithaca. With 12:45 left, the Engineers built their first double-digit advantage at 54-43. However, the Bombers quickly fought back with an 8-0 run, fueled by a strong layup and a flawless trip to the line by O'Neal, cutting the deficit and keeping the game within reach.
 
Reidy and Newman delivered back-to-back three-pointers, pushing WPI's lead to 60-51 with 8:13 remaining. A series of free throws and a smooth jumper from Molen extended the Engineers' advantage to 64-53. However, Ithaca refused to back down and Penders responded with a clutch three, and Wendell drove through the defense for a layup, trimming the deficit to just six and keeping the Bombers in striking distance.
 
Newman and Molen tacked on key buckets for the hosts, while Wendell answered with a layup for the visitors, making it 70-60 with just 1:12 left on the clock. From there, the Engineers stayed in control, managing the clock and fending off any late push from the Bombers to secure a hard-fought 79-71 victory.
 
Bledsoe led the Engineers with a career-high of 22 points. Molen contributed 16 points, five boards and three steals. Reidy tacked on 14 points and three steals, and Newman added 13 points and four rebounds. Callahan rounded out the double-digit scoring with 11 points and had eight assists. For the Bombers, O'Neal tallied 19 points, six rebounds and a block. Wendell stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, four boards, four assists, one steal and one block. Penders notched 13 points, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, and Leysath added 12 points, two steals and a block.
 
WPI made 26-of-56 (46.4%) of field goals and Ithaca shot 44.4% (24-of-54) on the game. The Bombers held an 11-3 advantage in offensive rebounds, while the Engineers capitalized off a 24-3 edge in points off turnovers.
 
Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25
 
Box Score