THE BASICS:

- Score: MIT 57, Lasell College 45

- Records: MIT (5-2); Lasell College (4-3)

- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)

- The Lead: Led by a 19-2 scoring run to close out the game, the MIT men's basketball team ran its winning streak to four straight with a 57-45 comeback win over visiting Lasell College on Monday night at Rockwell Cage. The Engineers trailed 43-38 with 7:38 remaining before rallying for the non-conference victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- The Lasers built to a 9-4 lead over the first five minutes, including a layup from senior Yordan Villalon. MIT eventually took a 16-14 lead midway through the first period after a pair of free throws by senior Tim Butala (Monroe, Conn.) and held a 30-23 edge into the halftime break after a three from sophomore Dakota Pierce (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) with 2:17 remaining.

- In the second half, Lasell came out of the locker room quickly with a 10-0 run over the first 6:35 of the period to seize a 33-30 advantage. After a three by Scott Arsenault capped that scoring spurt, Butala answered with a three for the hosts to tie the game again at 33-33. The game remained close until five straight points from Armin Omanovic put the Lasers ahead by their largest margin of the second period at 43-38. From that point, the Engineers defense clamped down and allowed just one Lasell field goal over the remainder of the game to come out with the victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- The 45-point defensive effort was the lowest opponent point total of the season for the Engineers. MIT also turned the ball over a season-low 14 times while limiting the Lasers to 26.4 percent shooting from the field.

- The Engineers outrebounded Lasell 47-39, including a12-7 margin on the offensive glass.

- Butala turned in a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double, while sophomore AJ Jurko (Weston, Fla.) posted 11 rebounds and a team-leading seven assists in 40 minutes of play. Pierce played all 40 minutes as well, finishing with 19 points, sevens rebound, four steals and zero turnovers while shooting 8-for-16 from the field. Sophomore Cameron Korb (Los Gatos, Calif.) posted 11 points off the bench, while sophomore Samuel Bockman (Oceanside, Calif.) added nine rebounds.

- Villalon was the top scorer for Lasell with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double as he also tied for the team lead in steals with four.

UP NEXT:

- MIT is back in action on Tuesday, December 6th as the Engineers host Emmanuel College for a 7 p.m. start at Rockwell Cage. The game is the final home game of the first semester for the Engineers, who resume home action in early January.

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