CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Senior co-captain Billy
Johnson scored a season-high 20 points, including five
three-pointers, while Noel Hollingsworth added a double-double of
15 points and 13 boards to help MIT down Suffolk, 85-50, in
non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at
Rockwell Cage. Johnson and his teammates combined to shoot 14-30
from beyond the arc and held a 55-30 edge in rebounding, as MIT
improved to 5-0. The Engineers were playing in their first
home-game since their memorable run into the NCAA Division III
Tournament a year ago. The loss was the first of the season for
Suffolk, which falls to 4-1.
The Cardinal and Grey jumped out to a quick, 15-3 lead over the
game's first five minutes, keyed by a pair of Johnson trifectas and
seven forced turnovers. MIT was able to convert those miscues into
11 points during that sequence. Suffolk would try to cut into the
lead over the next nine and a half minutes, getting as close as
four after a pair of free throws by Sam Hutchins with 6:07 left.
However, the Engineers quickly responded with a game-changing, 21-0
run over a 5:08 stretch, including five consecutive three-balls at
one point, as their advantage swelled to 41-16. Johnson and
Mitchell Kates were the main catalysts of the run, combining to
score or assist on five of the six field goals, to help send MIT
into the break up 42-17.
The two teams traded baskets early in the second stanza. Jimmy
Burke drained a pair of his four triples in the first 3:27 while
Matt Pepdjonovic converted a traditional three-point play to get
the margin down to 31 with 15:36 remaining. That would be as close
as the Rams would get, however, as Johnson responded with five
straight points to send the Cardinal and Grey on its way to the
win.
Burke was one of three MIT players to finish in double-figures
with 12. Will Tashman had a career-high 13 rebounds to go along
with four points. Kates scored nine and added seven assists and
four caroms. Luke Barrett paced the Rams with 14 points while
Pepdjonovic and Mike Gibbons each tallied 13.
MIT held Suffolk to 31% shooting to win for the fifth-straight
time against its local rivals. The two teams have squared off in
each season since 1971, with Tech holding 25-16 edge in the series.
Tech will travel across the river to Emerson College on Tuesday,
December 1 for a 5:30 p.m. start. Suffolk hosts UMass-Boston on
Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
