ASTON, Pa. — The Pratt Institute men's basketball team used a dominant second half to secure a crucial 84-79 road victory against Neumann University in an Atlantic East Conference showdown on Wednesday night. Three Cannoneers scored over 20 points, led by a career-high 23 from senior Mekhi Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Pratt (10-8, 2-5 Atlantic East) also received huge performances from Thomas Prendergast (Bayport, N.Y.) and Kurt Thomas (Dallas, Texas), who both registered their first collegiate double-doubles – Prendergast with career-highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds and Thomas with 20 points and a career-best 10 boards. Neumann (12-6, 4-3 Atlantic East) saw its two-game winning streak snapped.
The first half was a tight, back-and-forth battle that featured four ties and seven lead changes. Pratt built its largest lead of the period, 28-22, on a pair of free throws from Davis. The Knights closed the gap late, but the gold-and-black carried a narrow 32-30 advantage into the lockers, powered by Prendergast's game-high 11 at the break.
The Cannoneers came out of the lockers on fire, exploding for 52 second-half points. A three-pointer by Thomas extended the lead to double digits, 47-36, and another layup by Thomas gave Pratt its largest lead of the game at 56-40 with 13:39 remaining.
Neumann slowly chipped away, eventually taking a 79-78 lead from the line with 47 seconds to play, but a bucket by Davis with 30 seconds put Pratt back on top for good as the defense held, and the Cannoneers sealed the impressive road win from the free-throw line.
Prendergast filled the stat sheet with four assists and two blocks to go with his first double-double. Thomas was a force defensively, adding three blocks and two steals. Elijah Fermaint (Orlando, Fla.) contributed seven points and seven rebounds. As a team, Pratt recorded nine blocks.
Neumann was paced by 18 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists from Jayson Love. Jarell Keel (12 points, 14 rebounds) and Miles Johnson (14 points, 10 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles as five Knights scored in double-figures.
Pratt reaches the 10-win mark for the first time since attaining full NCAA membership in 2022-23 and for the first time since finishing 15-9 in the 2019-20 campaign.
The Cannoneers will look to continue its momentum on the road this Saturday, Jan. 31, when it travels to face Gwynedd Mercy University. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in the second game of a doubleheader with the women.
