MIT Escapes Late Nighthawk Surge, 66-58
Feb. 2, 2006
BROOKLINE, Mass. - Freshman Jimmy Bartolotta poured in a game-high 18 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead visiting MIT past Newbury College, 66-58, Thursday, at Papas Gymnasium. The win snapped a two-game skid for the Engineers (14-6), who move back into conference play in a Saturday home tilt against No. 14 nationally-ranked WPI.
MIT's rookie class dominated in the opening half as the Cardinal and Gray sprinted to a 38-26 halftime lead. Arch Mitchell scored eight points for the Nighthawks (7-12), but his early efforts were off-set by the play of Bartolotta, Billy Johnson and Adam Juneau. Bartolotta netted 10 points in the opening frame, while Johnson scored nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from the outside.
Juneau factored in heavily in helping the Engineers solve their rebounding woes. After being out-rebounded in two consecutive losses, Juneau hauled in a game-best nine boards and finished 2-of-3 in the post for four points.
Walky Migloire and Steven Morris ignited a big comeback effort for Newbury, which trailed by as little as three (51-48) midway through the second half. But MIT's Danny Kanamori thwarted the run with a three to give the Engineers some breathing room. Bartolotta and Mike D'Auria paced MIT with eight points a piece over the last 20 minutes.
Bartolotta rebounded in a huge way after a disappointing performance in the Engineers loss against Springfield. Finishing 7-of-10 from the floor, the rookie from Littleton, Colo. added three assists and took tremendous care of the basketball in pacing the win. D'Auria added 13 points including 6-of-7 from the free-throw line, but endured a 3-of-13 shooting performance. D'Auria's 13 markers served as his lowest single-game total on the season, while the NEWMAC's second-leading scorer has reached his average (20.5) once in the last seven games.
Junior Alex Krull enjoyed another efficient night on the offensive end, closing with nine points on 2-of-2 shooting from three-point range and a trio of free throws. Johnson scored all nine of his points in the first half, while senior Gary Atkins added six points and five boards.
