THE BASICS:
 
- Score: MIT 71, Westfield State 61
 
- Records: MIT (1-2); Westfield State (2-1)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: Led by 19 points from sophomore Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.), the MIT women's basketball team used a strong fourth quarter to pick up a 71-61 victory over Westfield State in the home opener at Rockwell Cage.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Over the first 10 minutes, neither team led by more than three-point lead and after four ties, the Owls used two free throws by Olivia Hadla with five seconds left to take a 15-13 edge into the second. In the second quarter, it was the Owls who stretched the lead as they shot 60 percent from the field. The visitors opened the period on a 11-2 run over the first 3:20, capped by another Hadla basket that made the score 26-15 in favor of Westfield.
 
- The Engineers quickly answered though with an 11-2 run of its own as MIT used points from four different scorers to cut the margin down to just two at 28-26 at the 3:36 mark. Westfield State eventually took the 35-30 lead into halftime as MIT's Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) scored on a layup with 38 seconds on the clock.
 
- An even third quarter sent the game into the final period with Westfield State holding a slim 50-46 advantage. Four straight points from Choi tied the game at 50-50, followed by a layup by first-year Brianna Lebrun (Hartford, Conn.) that gave the Engineers a 52-50 lead for the first time since the opening quarter. The MIT lead swelled to double digits at 71-60 after a three-point play by sophomore Elise Harvey (Wayland, Mass.), followed by a Hadla free throw that closed out the scoring and the 10-point Engineer victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Choi led MIT with 19 points, along with 15 points and seven rebounds from Nwogu and a team-high 14 rebounds by Lebrun. Overall, the Engineers forced 26 Westfield turnovers and held a convincing 55-34 rebounding advantage over the Owls.
 
- Lindsey Bohenko and Jordan Grant paced the Owls with 11 points each, while Hadla added nine points, five assists and four steals. The Owls also forced 32 MIT turnovers and registered 15 assists on 26 made field goals.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- The Engineers are back in action on Saturday, November 19th as the team hosts UMass Dartmouth for a 1 p.m. start.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
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