THE BASICS:
 
- Score: MIT 87, Emmanuel 83
 
- Records: MIT (7-3); Emmanuel (5-2)
 
- Location: Boston, Mass. (Jean Yawkey Center/Andy Yosinoff Court)
 
- The Lead: Led by 22 points each from junior Alex Cho (San Diego, Calif.) and senior Giannis Chatziveroglou (Athens, Greece), the MIT men's basketball team survived a late rally from Emmanuel College to close out the first semester with an 87-83 win over the Saints on Tuesday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Neither team was separated by more than one possession until the 10:13 mark of the first half as sophomore Charles Rich (Holladay, Utah) knocked down a three-pointer to put MIT out in front 16-11. The lead stretched to 36-28 with 2:41 left in the half after a three from senior Julian Manyika (San Francisco, Calif.) before the Saints cut the edge down to just 36-33 at the break.
 
- In the second half, Chatziveroglou made it a double-digit game at 56-44 following two free throws, but the Saints weren't going away and made it a 65-59 margin after a three from Ricky Martin.
 
- With MIT leading 80-72 with three minutes remaining after two free throws from senior Ian Hinkley (Raleigh, N.C.), the Saints embarked on an 11-4 scoring run, capped by a three-point play by Eljay Morris, that got the hosts within one at 84-83.
 
- On the ensuing possession for Emmanuel, Cho drew the charge for the Engineers with 9.8 seconds left on the clock and knocked down the free throws for the 86-83 edge. Chatziveroglou hit one of two free throws with three seconds remaining to secure the team's third straight victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Cho posted a 22-point, 10-assist double-double to go along with 22 points from Chatziveroglou in just 21 minutes. Rich added 15 points as MIT shot 49.2 percent from the field, 50 percent from three and an outstanding 93.8 percent from the free throw line at 15-of-16.
 
- Donte Pope led all scorers for Emmanuel with 24 points as Martin tallied 13 points and Dakota Wheeler contributed 14 points off the bench.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- The Engineers are now idle until after the New Year as they return to action at home on January 5 and host Clark University for the NEWMAC opener at 7 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
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