THE BASICS:

- Score: No. 5 Tufts 74, MIT 66

- Records: MIT (1-2); Tufts (3-0)

- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)

- The Lead: Trailing by as many as 16 points in the second half, the MIT men's basketball team cut the lead down to just three with 1:47 remaining before No. 5 ranked Tufts University held off the Engineers for the 74-66 final on Tuesday night at Rockwell Cage.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Over the first 7:39 of the opening half, the Jumbos opened a double-digit lead at 19-8 as KJ Garrett's layup gave the visitors the 11-point edge. Despite being outscored 21-0 from three-point land in the first period, the Engineers closed the opening half on a 6-0 run to trail just 37-29 at the break.

- MIT came out firing in the second period with a 12-6 scoring run, capped by a free throw by AJ Jurko (Weston, Fla.), to get the Engineers within two at 43-41 with 14:19 on the clock. Tufts seemed ready to put the game out of reach with a 16-2 run of its own over just 5:23 as the Jumbos knocked down six free throws and had a thunderous dunk from Garrett as the lead swelled to 59-43.

- The Engineers held the Jumbos to just four points over the next five minutes however and after a three from senior Tim Butala (Monroe, Conn.), MIT was back within five at 63-58 with 3:04 remaining. The hosts briefly got back to within three in the final minutes before six Tufts free throws helped seal the 74-66 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Sophomore Bradley Jomard (Paris, France) led the Engineers for the third straight game with a 25-point, 11-rebound effort as he also added four assists and three steals. Butala also finished in double figures with 10 points, while sophomore Samuel Bockman (Oceanside, Calif.) added 13 points in 22 minutes off the bench.

- Vincent Pace was the top scorer for Tufts with 15 points in 20 minutes off the bench, while Tarik Smith was the top-scoring starter with 13 points. Garrett also finished in double figures with 12 points on the day. Senior Tom Palleschi nearly registered a double-double as he finished with nine points, nine rebounds and two blocks in a solid all-around effort.

- Overall, the Jumbos shot 40.7 percent from the field overall and knocked down nine three-pointers and 17-of-23 free throws. For the Engineers, MIT shot 39 percent from the field and forced 15 Jumbo turnovers.

- The Jumbos held a narrow 41-38 advantage on the boards as well as both teams finished the game with nine offensive rebounds.

UP NEXT:

- MIT returns to action on Saturday, November 26th as the Engineers host Sarah Lawrence for a 2 p.m. non-conference start.

STAY CONNECTED:

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