BROOKLINE, Mass. – A career-high 34 points by freshman Adam Jurko (Weston, Fla.) paced MIT to an 85-65 men's basketball victory over Newbury College this evening. In its last game before taking a break for the holidays, the Engineers shot 53 percent from the floor and saw three players account for 71 points. Newbury saw Kenny Ramos pour in 27 points to lead the Nighthawks. 

Neither team could pull away in the first 10 minutes of the contest. MIT (8-2) pulled out to a 12-6 advantage after seven minutes, but Newbury (2-7) came back to tie things up at 14-14 after Devin Johnson hit a jumper and then a three-point shot at the 11:30 mark. Two minutes later freshman Tim Roberts (Oak Bluffs, Mass.) hit two straight shots that gave MIT another six-point lead. The Engineers then went on to hit its next three shots from the field to increase its lead to 12 points on a layup from senior Justin Pedley (Kennewick, Wash.).

Newbury could not make a dent in the MIT lead the rest of the half, as the Engineers went on to get two threes from Pedley over the final four minutes to help them to take a 45-32 lead at the half.

Pedley struck for another pair of threes in the opening minute and a half of the final 20 minutes as MIT opened its largest lead of the night, 53-34. MIT fended off any challenge by Newbury and pushed its lead past 20 points at the midway point of the half when freshman Bradley Jomard (Paris, France) hit a three with senior Lampros Tsontzos (Amarousion, Greece) and Jurko following with baskets that had the Engineers on top, 70-46.

From there Newbury could not put a run together and the Engineers cruised home with its third straight win heading into conference play in January. Jurko hit 13-of-20 shots from the field along with all seven free throws attempts on his way to the 34 points. He also set a new career best with seven rebounds while matching his previous high with seven rebounds. Pedley notched 21 points along with a career-high 11 boards for his first career double-double, with Jomard adding 16 points for the Engineers.

For Newbury Jeduan Langston added 19 points and shared the team lead with Ramos with six rebounds. MIT out shot the Nighthawks, 53.3 to 41.3 percent and held a 43-27 advantage on the glass.

MIT will be off until January 6 when the Engineers will open New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play by hosting Clark University in Rockwell Cage at 7:00 p.m.