THE BASICS:
 
- Score: MIT 82 , Worcester State University 77 (OT)
 
- Records: MIT (2-4); Worcester State (4-4)
 
- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Brissette Court)
 
- The Lead: MIT outscored Worcester State University, 23-12, during the last seven minutes of regulation and established a small cushion in overtime as it went on to capture an 82-77 come-from-behind victory in non-conference women's basketball action on Thursday night. First-year Brianna Lebrun (Hartford, Conn.) produced 18 points, 14 rebounds, and three steals while graduate student Paula Pieper (Greenville, S.C.) generated 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds while playing all 45 minutes for the Engineers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- A three-point play by sophomore Sarah Berman (York, Pa.) tied the score at 10 with four minutes left in the opening frame. After an exchange of baskets, a layup gave Worcester State a 16-12 edge but a pair of free throws by first-year Alice Hall (Ambler, Pa.) kept MIT within striking distance at the end of the quarter.
 
- The back-and-forth scoring resumed until a 7-2 spurt gave the Lancers a 25-18 lead midway through the second stanza. The Engineers chipped away at the deficit as a layup by Lebrun brought them within 25-23 with 3:28 to go. Worcester State responded with nine unanswered points, entering halftime with a 34-23 advantage.
 
- The Lancers maintained their double-digit margin early in the third quarter, but MIT narrowed the gap to nine on two occasions, the last at 40-31 on a jumper by sophomore Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) at the 5:53 mark. Worcester State quickly replied with a three-pointer as its margin eventually grew to 49-35 with 3:18 on the clock. The Engineers countered with a 10-2 run down the stretch to come within 51-45, as Choi accounted for six points.
 
- Choi carried the momentum into the fourth quarter as she drained two free throws after 41 seconds elapsed. However, the Lancers rattled off seven straight points to increase their cushion to 58-47 at the 7:57 mark. Sparked by seven unanswered points, MIT mounted a 16-5 run which tied the score at 63 following two Lebrun free throws with 3:08 left to play. Worcester State responded with a layup and a three-point play, but Lebrun's three-point play and a jumper by Pieper tied the game at 68 with 35 seconds remaining. After turnovers by both sides, a jumper put the hosts in front with 6.8 seconds but Lebrun's put-back with 1.5 seconds left forced overtime.
 
- Exactly 38 seconds into the extra session, a layup by Lebrun gave the Engineers their first lead of the game. The Lancers responded with a jumper almost a minute later before a defensive battle ensued. A free throw by Choi ended the stalemate with 1:54 on the clock and then Pieper buried a three-pointer 30 seconds later, increasing MIT's margin to 76-72. Worcester State sank two free throws during its next possession; however, Lebrun drained a layup with 57 seconds remaining. The Lancers quickly narrowed the gap to 78-77 courtesy of a three-pointer, but Lebrun recorded another put-back with 22.1 seconds to go. After two missed free throws by Worcester State and a jumpball that was awarded to the Engineers, Pieper sank two free throws with 1.5 seconds left to secure the win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Choi finished with 17 points and a game-high seven assists while sophomore Elise Harvey (Wayland, Mass.) posted a career-high 12 points coming off the bench. Hall recorded eight rebounds and two blocks as sophomore Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) tallied nine points, eight rebounds, and three steals.
 
- MIT led the way in rebounds (61-49, including 35 offensive boards), points in the paint (44-28), second-chance points (44-15), and points off turnovers (21-20). The Lancers, meanwhile, had a 19-17 edge in bench scoring.
 
- The Engineers shot 35.2 percent (31-of-88) from the floor, 25.0 percent (3-of-12) from three-point range, and 65.4 percent (17-of-26) from the free throw line.
 
- Worcester State shot 41.8 percent (33-of-79) from the floor, 30.8 percent (8-of-26) from behind the arc, and 50 percent (3-of-6) at the charity stripe.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT travels to Brandeis University on Saturday, Dec. 3 for a 1:00 p.m. game.
 
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