THE BASICS:
 
- Score: Emerson - 83, MIT - 80
 
- Records: MIT (2-13, 1-5 NEWMAC), Emerson (5-9, 1-4 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: The MIT men's basketball team rallied from a double-digit second half deficit, however, the Engineers' comeback attempt against the visiting Emerson Lions fell short as the Lions escaped Rockwell Cage with an 83-80 NEWMAC victory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Off an Emerson turnover, first-year Michael Zhang (Jacksonville, Fla.) gave the Engineers a 17-6 lead on a three at the 13:35 mark. A three from Jacob Armant at 10:33 cut the MIT lead to five, but first-year Merlin Gogolin (New York, N.Y.) made both free throws at 9:51 to put MIT back up seven, 21-14.
 
- The Lions hung around as a Brendan McNamara three kick-started an 11-0 run gave Emerson a 33-26 lead. A three from first-year Isaac Dobie (Kitty Hawk, N.C.) followed by a jumper from classmate Samuel Chen (Bellevue, Wash.) got MIT to within one 4:04 left in the half, but that is as close as they got in the half as Emerson took a 47-44 lead after the first 20 minutes of play.
 
- Zhang made it a one-point contest at 14:15 with a layup that made it 56-55, but Emerson continued to hold onto the lead, and a three from Trevor Arico put the visitors up eight with 10:42 remaining, and his three at 8:05 made it a ten-point Emerson lead.
 
- An 11-0 run put the Engineers in the lead, 75-73 with 1:52 left, but Emerson quickly responded to tie the game. Zhang then nailed a three with 1:10 left, but the Lions scored the next four points and held on for the 83-80 win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Gogolin led the Engineers with 23 points and five assists. He was also a perfect 5-5 at the free throw line.
 
- Dobie poured in 22 points and led the way with six steals and four threes. Junior Spencer Lin (Menlo Park, Calif.) finished with 11 pints and nine rebounds, and Zhang added 14 points.
 
- Arico led the Lions with 23 points while McNamara and Guillermo Gassett-Ruiz each finished with 15 points.
 
- The Engineers out-rebounded Emerson 36-30 and held a 36-32 advantage in points in the paint.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- The Engineers remain on Rockwell as they will welcome Clark to Cambridge on Saturday, January 13th for a 3 p.m. contest.
 
STAY CONNECTED:

 - For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
 
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