Adam Dudzinski's 27 points headlined a gritty road effort for the St. Lawrence University men's basketball team, where they came up just short Tuesday afternoon. They fell 72-66 to nationally ranked WPI inside Harrington Auditorium in Worcester, Mass.

The Saints dropped to 3-7 on the season, while the No. 17 Engineers improved to 8-1 overall and extended their win streak to four games.

"WPI is one of the nation's top teams, and they are very good at both ends of the floor," said Saints head coach Chris Downs. "Games against quality opponents like this help fast track the development of our underclassmen. We will be there in the end."

The Scarlet and Brown opened the game efficiently, making six of their first nine shots to take a 14-6 lead. WPI responded with a 16-2 run midway through the half as St. Lawrence went cold from the field. The opening 20 minutes featured seven lead changes, with WPI taking a 33-31 lead into halftime after a three-pointer in the final seconds.

St. Lawrence remained within striking distance throughout, with neither team leading by double figures at any point. WPI held a narrow advantage for much of the second half, but the Saints trimmed the margin to 62-60 when Dan Anderson connected on a three-pointer with 1:46 remaining. 

After a short jumper by WPI's Justin Molen, St. Lawrence again closed the gap to one following an offensive rebound and another Anderson three with 42.5 seconds to play. Out of a timeout, WPI converted a long inbound pass for a layup to push the lead to 66-63 with 38 seconds left. The Engineers followed with an and-one basket to extend the margin to six.

Nathan Bledsoe sealed the outcome at the free throw line in the final seconds, working around a late three-pointer by Adam Dudzinski.

Dudzinski led all scorers with a season-best 27 points, shooting 9-15 from the field and 5-10 from beyond the arc, while adding six rebounds. Anderson finished with 15 points and eight rebounds for the Saints. WPI was led by Tim Reidy with 18 points, including six three-pointers. Bledsoe recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Molen added 11 points and 16 boards as the Engineers held a 49-33 rebounding advantage.

St. Lawrence returns to Liberty League play on Monday, January 5, hosting Clarkson at 4 p.m.