THE BASICS:
 
- Score: MIT 60, Maine Maritime Academy 48
 
- Records: MIT (4-4); Maine Maritime (4-3)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: An 11-0 run during the last 2:17 of regulation powered MIT to a 60-48 victory over Maine Maritime Academy in non-conference women's basketball action on Sunday afternoon. Graduate student Paula Pieper (Greenville, S.C.) led all players with 18 points and added three assists and two steals for the Engineers while Lauren Plissey tallied 17 rebounds, 12 points, four assists, and two blocks for the Mariners.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- A three-pointer by Maria Barela gave Maine Maritime a 7-4 edge with 3:37 left in the first quarter. However, a jumper by sophomore Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) led to 12 unanswered points and a 16-7 lead for MIT at the end of the frame.
 
- The Mariners opened the second stanza with an Evelyn Dagan three-pointer and two free throws by Plissey, but the Engineers responded with baskets by sophomore Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) and first-year Kaya Weiser (Villanova, Pa.) to move the score to 20-12 at the 7:13 mark. Maine Maritime chipped away at the deficit, outscoring MIT, 10-1, during the final 5:38 of the half. A layup by Barela put the Mariners in front while two more Plissey free throws gave the visitors a 24-21 edge at halftime.
 
- The Engineers controlled the action in the third quarter as they outscored Maine Maritime, 22-9, which resulted in a 43-33 advantage.
 
- The Mariners responded by opening the fourth quarter with a 13-3 run as a three-pointer from Barela brought them within 47-46 at the 4:01 mark. A jumper in the paint by first-year Alice Hall (Ambler, Pa.) over a minute later created some breathing room, but Barela countered with a layup with 2:30 remaining. On MIT's ensuing possession, Pieper knocked down a trey which sparked the pivotal game-ending run.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Nwogu finished with 10 points and eight rebounds while Choi totaled 10 points, four steals, and three assists. Hall notched nine points and eight rebounds coming off the bench as sophomore Sarah Berman (York, Pa.) contributed five assists and two steals.
 
- Barela paced Maine Maritime with 15 points while Grace Huntwork recorded 10 points and two steals.
 
- Both teams collected 43 rebounds while MIT had the upper hand in points in the paint (28-14), points off turnovers (18-10), second-chance points (11-10), fastbreak points (7-0), and bench scoring (14-7).
 
- The Engineers shot 35.8 percent (24-of-67) from the floor, 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from three-point range, and 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from the free throw line.
 
- The Mariners shot 30.2 percent (16-of-53) from the floor, 30.0 percent (6-of-20) from behind the arc, and 83.3 percent (10-of-12) at the charity stripe, all by Plissey.
 
- This was the second meeting between both programs. The first was a 78-63 victory by Maine Maritime in 2005-06.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- Both teams return to action on Saturday, Dec. 10. MIT will host nationally-ranked No. 8 Tufts University at 2:00 p.m. while Maine Maritime visits North Atlantic Conference foe University of Maine-Farmington for a 1:00 p.m. game.
 
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