THE BASICS:
 
- Score: WPI 70, MIT 62
 
- Records: MIT (10-8, 5-2 NEWMAC); WPI (17-3, 6-2 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Harrington Auditorium)
 
- The Lead: Trailing 56-55 midway through the fourth quarter, WPI outscored MIT, 15-6, including a 7-of-8 performance from the free-throw line, to capture a 70-62 NEWMAC women's basketball victory on Wednesday night. Senior Christina Antonakakis (Holmdel, N.J.) led all players with 19 points while classmate Kylie Gallagher (Upton, Mass.) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with 14 points and three blocks.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- WPI opened the game with nine unanswered points. A steal and a fast-break layup by senior Annika Sougstad (Mahtomedi, Minn.) put MIT on the board at the 3:46 mark and then a layup from Antonakakis narrowed the gap to 9-4 exactly two minutes later. WPI followed with a three-pointer while Gallagher's put-back resulted in a 12-6 score at the end of the frame.
 
- MIT trimmed its deficit to 12-10 early in the second stanza courtesy of Gallagher's layup and two Sougstad free throws. WPI rattled off six points before going up 23-15 midway through the quarter. MIT quickly replied with a trey from Antonakakis, and after a WPI layup, first-year Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) buried a three-pointer to bring the visitors within 25-21 at the 4:27 mark. A jumper during WPI's next trip down the court sparked a 9-1 run. MIT ended its scoring drought on a layup by Antonakakis with 47 seconds left and then Choi registered back-to-back baskets, making the score 34-28 at halftime.
 
- A layup by first-year Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) 12 seconds into the third quarter set off an exchange of baskets but MIT came within two points on two occasions, the last at 38-36 on an Antonakakis jumper. WPI gradually pulled away, increasing its cushion to 53-42 with 2:21 on the clock. MIT's final points of the quarter came from the free-throw line as Antonakakis drained both shots while first-year Sarah Berman (York, Pa.) made one.
 
- MIT continued to chip away at its deficit until Antonakakis's jumper put the visitors ahead, 54-53, at the 6:29 mark. Both teams traded baskets until WPI used a three-pointer and then a jumper to go up 60-56 with 2:16 left to play. Sougstad responded with a jumper, but WPI immediately countered with a trey with 1:47 on the clock. The game remained scoreless until two WPI free throws increased its lead to 65-58 with 33 seconds to go.
 
- Exactly six seconds later, Berman knocked down a jumper, however, WPI drained three of its next four free throws to create some breathing room. Antonakakis sank a free throw with six seconds left, but WPI was sent back to the charity stripe where it hit both shots for a 70-62 final.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Choi posted 12 points, two steals, and two assists while Sougstad finished with eight points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
 
- MIT led the way in points off turnovers (17-9), second-chance points (10-7), and points in the paint (28-24). WPI, meanwhile, ended the night with advantages in rebounds (40-35) and bench scoring (22-16).
 
- MIT shot 35.9 percent (23-of-64) from the floor, 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from three-point range, and 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the free throw line.
 
- WPI shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the floor, 40.0 percent (8-of-20) from behind the arc, and 92.3 percent (12-of-13) at the charity stripe.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will host NEWMAC rival Mount Holyoke College on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 1:00 p.m.
 
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