THE BASICS:
 
- Score: MIT 65, WPI 59
 
- Records: MIT (14-8, 6-1 NEWMAC); WPI (16-5, 6-2 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: MIT outscored WPI, 28-6, during the final 13:16 of regulation to capture a 65-59 victory in NEWMAC women's basketball action on Wednesday night. Sophomore Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) tallied a game-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals for MIT. Victoria Mirecki paced WPI with 11 points coming off the bench.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- A free throw by Alice Kelly and then a layup from Lisa Cristiano kicked off a 14-4 run which gave WPI a 21-9 lead with 59 seconds left in the first quarter. Sophomore Sarah Berman (York, Pa.) drained a layup on MIT's next possession, but Adrianna Niles countered with one of her own as time expired.
 
- A layup by McKenna Finken nine seconds into the second stanza increased WPI's cushion to 25-11. Although the visitors' double-digit margin held for most of the quarter, MIT came within eight points on three occasions, the last at 35-27 courtesy of Choi's two free throws at the 2:10 mark. WPI responded with another Niles layup and a three-point play by Mirecki. However, the hosts used a layup by sophomore Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) and a Choi free throw to narrow the gap to 40-30 at halftime.
 
- WPI maintained its comfortable cushion in the third quarter as Mirecki's layup increased the lead to 16 points (53-37) with 3:16 on the clock. Sparked by back-to-back layups by first-year Brianna Lebrun (Hartford, Conn.), MIT closed out the quarter with nine unanswered points, including a trio of free throws by graduate student Paula Pieper (Greenville, S.C.).
 
- MIT carried the momentum into the fourth quarter as a jumper by sophomore Elise Harvey (Wayland, Mass.) gave it a 56-55 edge at the 5:47 mark. Following three minutes of scoreless play, a put-back by first-year Alice Hall (Ambler, Pa.) created some breathing room for the hosts. However, WPI ended its five-minute scoring drought courtesy of Finken's layup with 2:09 remaining.
 
- After an exchange of possessions, Choi recorded a jumper and then a free throw to give MIT a 61-57 lead with 34 seconds to go. Following a pair of WPI three-point attempts, Kelly cut the deficit in half by sinking two free throws with 13 seconds left. A quick foul sent Berman to the charity stripe where she hit both shots. WPI's next three-point attempt was off the mark and then junior Grace Harrington (Seattle, Wash.) grabbed the defensive rebound. She secured the victory by draining two free throws with one-tenth of a second on the clock.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Nwogu registered 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal while Lebrun finished with eight points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
 
- Finken posted 10 points and two steals as Cristiano generated eight points and six rebounds. Alex Scariati and Emily Raynowska both dished out five assists while Niles collected six rebounds.
 
- Both teams produced 34 points in the paint as MIT led the way in rebounds (43-35), points off turnovers (17-16), and second-chance points (18-9). WPI ended the night with a 23-14 advantage in bench scoring.
 
- MIT shot 38.1 percent (24-of-63) from the floor, 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from three-point range, and 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the free throw line.
 
- WPI shot 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the floor, 19 percent (4-of-21) from behind the arc, and 69.2 percent (9-of-13) at the charity stripe.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- Both teams travel to NEWMAC foes on Saturday, Feb. 11. MIT will visit Mount Holyoke College for a 2:00 p.m. game while WPI will take the court an hour later at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Read Full Article