Men's Basketball Soars Past John Abbott, 78-38, at RPI Tip-Off

Courtesy of RPI Sports Information

TROY, N.Y. - Sophomore Noel Hollingsworth scored 21 points with eight rebounds in 17 minutes and freshman Jimmy Burke added 19 points to lead Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to a 78-38 win over John Abbott College in the first round of the RPI Tip-Off Tournament at the East Campus Arena.  MIT improves to 2-0 and advances to take on the host school, Rensselaer, in the championship game at 3pm on Saturday.  John Abbott falls to 4-9 and faces Cooper Union in the consolation game at 1pm.

The two teams traded baskets very early on before MIT went on a 23-0 run to turn a 4-4 tie into a 27-4 lead.  Hollingsworth, a forward, and Burke, a guard, both had six points in the run for the Engineers.  Hollingsworth scored three baskets in the paint, while Burke made two three-point baskets.

MIT increased its lead to as many as 29 points in the first half before settling for a 46-21lead at the break.  Hollingsworth had 19 points and eight rebounds for MIT, which shot 48.8% (20 for 41) in the first half.

Burke scored 11 of his points in the second half as the Engineers pulled away.  He finished the night making 8 of 11 shots, including 3 of 5 from three-point range.  He also had three rebounds, three assists and two steals.  Hollingsworth, a transfer from Brown University, made 10 of 14 shots, while chipping in with two blocked shots.

John Abbott was led by guard Corey Simmons, who had 18 points, all on three-point baskets.  He was 6 for 11 from behind the arc.  Simmons added two rbounds, three assists and a steal in a game-high 35 minutes.

The Islanders face a Cooper Union team that lost to RPI, 97-53, in the first-ever game at the East Campus Arena.