ASHLAND, Va. – Colin McNamara scored the eventual game-winning basket with 16.3 seconds left to lift the 13th-ranked Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) men's basketball team to a 56-55 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), on Friday evening at Crenshaw Gymnasium. With the win, WPI improves to 27-2 and advances to the Elite 8, while RPI concludes its season with a 23-6 mark, matching the deepest NCAA Tournament run in program history.

Both teams hit go-head baskets in the final minute of the game as Rensselaer turned a 54-51 deficit into a 55-54 lead. Junior Will Rubin finished in transition to draw the Engineers to within one, before going behind his back and splitting a pair of WPI defenders and scoring to give RPI a 55-54 advantage with 32 seconds to play.

Out of a timeout, WPI's John Lowther found McNamara cutting to the basket for a lay-up and the lead with 16.3 to play in regulation. RPI worked the ball up the floor and found senior Mason Memmelaar for a wing three-pointer that was strong off the iron. A tie-up on the rebound gave the ball back to Rensselaer with 1.4 ticks left, but the ensuing inbound pass was tipped away and WPI held for the win.

Both sides played strong defense through the game, with neither side leading by more than seven points. RPI jumped out a to a 10-3 lead on a pair of a threes in the opening moments of the contest.

WPI slowly climbed back into game thanks to a 0 for 5 drought by Rensselaer, drawing within 12-11 with 13:13 remaining in the half. Both sides clamped down over the next three minutes, before an Avery Eugster triple broke the drought and gave RPI a 15-11 advantage.

A Lowther jumper gave WPI its first lead (16-15) with 9:03 remaining in the opening half.

The two teams then traded one-point leads until a pair of Memmellar free throws put the Engineers up 21-18 with 6:20 on the clock in the first.

RPI matched its largest lead of the first half 25-18 after Rubin hit a pair from the line, but WPI worked the deficit down to just two points at the break, 29-27. Rensselaer led despite shooting just 37.5% from the floor. RPI did win the turnover battle 9-5, while outscoring the opposition 12-3 off of miscues.

The second half provided more of the same, as neither side could stretch their respective leads to more than five points for the duration of the contest.

Jonny Angbazo and Dom Black hit back-to-back baskets to give RPI a 39-34 lead with 16:08 remaining in the contest. John Adams answered for WRPI, scoring inside, before McNamara drilled a three-pointer to tie the game at 39-apiece.

After two minutes without a point either direction, Black stuck home a layup to give RPI a 41-39 edge with 13:00 minutes to play.

The two sides traded baskets until the 6:07 mark, when Lowther hit a jumper from the free throw line to give WPI a 51-49.

More than three minutes later, Memmelaar pulled RPI even with a hoop inside, before Kahleb Downing gave WPI the lead right (54-51) back with his third and final three pointer of the contest.

WPI was paced offensively by Lowther, who had 19 points and eight rebounds. McNamara had 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting, including the game-winning basket. Downing finished 3 for 4 from beyond the arc for nine points.

RPI saw Memmelaar lead the way with 18 points, two boards, two assists and two steals. Rubin added 13 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Angbazo chipped in with 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting, with three boards.

Rensselaer was held to 41.7% shooting for the game, but won the turnover battle, 16-12. RPI also outscored WPI in the paint, 34-18. The game saw 22 two lead-changes and eight ties, including seven in the second half alone.

The Engineers matched the 1995-96 RPI squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to Franklin & Marshall, 74-58.