CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - With first place in the New
England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) on the line,
the No. 8 ranked MIT men's basketball team outlasted visiting
Springfield, 67-56, on Wednesday night at Rockwell Cage. Noel
Hollingsworth led the way for the Engineers with 25 points and 10
rebounds as they improved to 16-1 overall and now stand alone atop
the NEWMAC at 4-0. The loss was the first for the Pride in league
play, as they dropped to 7-9 overall and 3-1in the conference.
With the score tied at 44 with just over 10 minutes to go, Billy
Bender knocked down his second three-pointer of the night, giving
the host Engineers a lead they would not relinquish. A few minutes
later, the Cardinal and Gray began a 13-3 run, with seven points
coming from the foul line, to put the game out of reach.
Trailing 37-33 after the intermission, Springfield scored five
straight points early in the frame, completing a 14-4 stretch and
coming all the way back to within one at the 17:12 mark. Pat
Crean's steal and layup a few minutes later gave the visitors their
first lead of the night at 42-41. Mitchell Kates tied things back
up from the foul line on a minute later and the teams traded a pair
of baskets on ensuing possessions, setting up Bender's three.
Tech got out to a quick 10-2 lead to begin the game, with
Hollingsworth and Kates combining for eight of the 10. The teams
traded buckets over the next six minutes with Hollingsworth putting
the Engineers up 12 on a layup at the 10:53 mark. The Pride would
respond with a 12-2 run of their own, capped by a Matt Cavalieri
jumper with 5:13 to go in the first. Three quick trifectas from
Jimmy Burke, however, and the MIT lead was back up to 11. From
there, the Pride battled to within four over the final 2:52 of the
stanza, eventually knotting the score midway through the second.
Eight of Hollingsworth's 25 came from the foul line, as he also
contributed four assists and three blocks while playing nearly all
40 minutes. Three other Engineers finished in double figures, led
by Will Tashman, who narrowly missed a double-double with 12 points
and nine boards. Bender and Kates each finished with
10.
Crean was the high scorer for the Pride with 17 while Cavalieri
contributed 14 along with a team-high seven caroms.
The game was a physical contest from the outset, as four players
fouled out and the teams combined for 43 personals. Free throw
shooting was a key to MIT's second-half effort, as the Cardinal and
Gray went 14-20 over the final 20 minutes.
Both teams will be back in action on Saturday, January 23,
hosting conference foes. MIT welcomes Wheaton College for a 1:00
p.m. start while Springfield will take on WPI also at 1:00 p.m.
