THE BASICS:

- Score: No. 1 Babson 71, MIT 65

- Records: MIT (12-4, 4-1 NEWMAC); No. 1 Babson (15-1, 5-0 NEWMAC)

- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)

- The Lead: On Wednesday night, the MIT men's basketball team dropped a 71-65 home final to No. 1 ranked Babson College as the Beavers rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit in the battle for first place in the NEWMAC. Babson is currently ranked atop the D3hoops.com National Top 25 Poll, while the Engineers are receiving votes in the national poll.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- MIT jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead over the first 2:08 after a three-pointer from sophomore AJ Jurko (Weston, Fla.). The Engineer lead swelled to double figures at 19-9 with 7:38 remaining in the opening period and eventually reached 13 at 28-15 with 2:06 on the clock. The teams traded baskets over the rest of the half as MIT took a 30-17 advantage into the halftime break, with the Engineers holding the Beavers to 0-for-10 shooting from three in the period.

- In the second, the Engineers came out strong and led by as many as 15 at 42-27 with 13:25 remaining following a three from sophomore Cameron Korb (Los Gatos, Calif.). Babson's offense came to life with a 23-8 run over the next eight minutes, capped by a three from Nick Comenale to tie the game for the first time at 50-50.

- The Engineers regained the lead with just under five minutes remaining before another Comenale three with 4:21 on the clock tied the game for the final time at 55-55. The Beavers built the advantage to 60-55, but the Engineers pulled back within one after two Tim Butala (Monroe, Conn.) free throws and a layup from sophomore Tim Roberts (Oak Bluffs, Mass.). The Beavers knocked down seven free throws over the last 20 seconds of the game, en route to the six-point comeback win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Korb led four Engineers in double figures with 14 points behind four three-pointers, while Butala added 12 to go along with 11 each from Roberts and sophomore Dakota Pierce (Thousand Oaks, Calif.). Robert also picked up 12 rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench for the game's lone double-double.

- Babson was paced by 18 points from Isaiah Nelsen as four Beavers finished in double figures. Comenale and Joey Flannery each added 13 points, while Bradley Jacks had 12 points in just 18 minutes.

- MIT held a 34-27 rebounding advantage, while the Beavers forced 20 Engineer turnovers for the game. After going scoreless from three in the first half, Babson connected on 7-of-12 three-pointers in the second half to rally for the win. The Beavers also outscored the Engineers from the free throw line by a 16-10 margin as Babson shot 84.2 percent from the stripe.

UP NEXT:

- MIT is back in action on Saturday, January 21st as the Engineers travel to Emerson College for a 1 p.m. start. 

STAY CONNECTED:

- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.