THE BASICS:
 
- Score: Springfield College 87, MIT 79
 
- Records: MIT (3-10, 1-3 NEWMAC); Springfield College (4-11, 1-3 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: In a back-and-forth game on Saturday afternoon in Rockwell Cage, the MIT men's basketball team fell to Springfield College by an 87-79 final in NEWMAC play. The teams traded the lead nine times during the game with 12 ties as this marked the first of two meetings this season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- The Engineers got off to a hot start from three-point land as the team hit five threes over the first 8:02, including one from first-year Tim Minicozzi (Belmont, Mass.) that tied the game at 18-18. The Pride quickly countered with an 8-0 run over the next 1:09 for their biggest lead of the half at 26-18 following a pair of Andrew Rocci free throws.
 
- MIT fought back to tie the game three more times over the rest of the first half, including at 38-3 with 3:57 left before halftime after a three-pointer from junior Micah Boone (Pike Road, Ala.). Springfield's John Paulino kept the offense going for the visitors over the final moments of the period with a pair of layups as the Pride held a 47-44 halftime edge.
 
- Neither team led by more than five over the first 13 minutes of the second half as MIT took its first lead since the early going at 58-57 after two free throws from first-year Rome Delgado-Gonzalez (Miami, Fla.). The hosts extended the lead out to as many as six at 76-70 at the 7:15 mark after a pair of free throws from sophomore Spencer Lin (Menlo Park, Calif.), but it was the Pride that then answered with a run of their own.
 
- Springfield tied the game up at 76-76 after a Paulino free throw, but MIT regained the edge moments later after a Minicozzi three-pointer. That marked the final points for the Engineers through as the Pride closed the game on an 11-0 run for the NEWMAC victory. That scoring spurt was sparked by threes from Paulino and Nick Bray and was capped by a pair of layups from Daryl Costa.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- MIT was led by a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double from Delgado-Gonzalez as he added six assists and a pair of blocks. Sophomore Kade Killeen (Austin, Texas) posted a team-high four three-pointers and finished with 18 points, along with 15 points from Minicozzi and 11 points and nine rebounds by Boone. Lin led all players in the game with 10 assists as he played all 40 minutes for MIT.
 
- Paulino paced four Springfield players in double figures with 22 points, along with 19 from Costa, 14 from Bray and 13 by Josiah Evely. Curtiss Blische led the Pride on the boards with a 10-rebound effort as Springfield held a 40-36 overall rebounding advantage.
 
- MIT outscored the Pride 36-30 from three-point land and 19-11 at the free throw line, while Springfield shot 54.1 percent from the field overall. The Engineers also finished the game with 20 assists on 24 made field goals and forced 14 Springfield turnovers.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT returns to action on Wednesday, January 18th as the Engineers host Babson College for an 8 p.m. start at Rockwell Cage. At halftime, the 2021-22 MIT club sports and NCAA individual national champions will be recognized for their achievements.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.