CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Sophomore Isaac Dobie (Kitty Hawk, N.C.) poured in a game-high 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the MIT men's basketball team to an 85-77 victory over Endicott College on Wednesday evening at Rockwell Cage. 

The reigning NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week also recorded four steals and a block as the Engineers picked up their second straight home victory to start the 2024-25 campaign. 

THE BASICS: 

• Score: MIT 85, Endicott 77 
• Records: MIT (2-0 Overall), Endicott (0-1 Overall) 

HOW IT HAPPENED:  

• MIT found an early advantage, as a layup from junior Parker Spann (Omaha, Neb.) put the Engineers ahead 12-3 at the 16:06 mark of the first half. MIT would eventually grow the lead to 11 points, taking a 19-8 lead when Dobie dropped in a layup at 13:21.  
• Endicott countered the early MIT advantage with five straight points to slim the deficit to 19-13 following a pair of Parker McLaren (Newburyport, Mass.) free throws at 12:31. McLaren finished the contest with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.  
• MIT continued to lead through the midway point of the first half but saw Endicott slowly chip away at the margin. With MIT leading 26-19 at the 7:07 mark, Dobie missed the second of two free throws before Endicott went on a 9-2 run to tie the score, 28-28, when junior Matt Boen (Mansfield, Mass.) made two free throws at 5:01. The Gulls worked the game back in their favor over their next three possessions, taking a 35-30 lead with just under two minutes to play in the half.  
• The Engineers finished the opening half on a 7-0 run that gave the hosts a halftime advantage. Dobie closed the stanza with an acrobatic layup at the buzzer following a steal at from senior guard Spencer Lin (Menlo Park, Calif.). 
• Endicott erased the halftime deficit during the early going of the second half, taking a brief 42-40 lead before sophomore Merlin Gogolin (New York, N.Y.) tied the game for MIT with a layup at 17:28. Gogolin's layup ignited a 12-0 run that pushed the Engineers to a 52-42 advantage when Gogolin hit a triple at 15:38. 
• MIT never trailed for the remainder of the contest, leading by as many as 14 points over the final 15 minutes of play. Endicott would slim the lead to five following a pair of Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) free throws with 2:53 left but MIT knocked down all nine of its free throws in the final 1:50 of regulation to secure the 85-77 final.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

• Paced by Dobie, four of MIT's five starters finished in double figures. Lin was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, finishing with 18 points in the contest. Gogolin added 17 points and Spann dropped 11 points while collecting seven boards. 
• MIT finished the game shooting over 50% from the field for the second straight contest. 
• Endicott had the advantage on the glass, 40-37. 
• Graduate student Marcus Montagnino (Gloucester, Mass.) had a game-high 19 points and four assists for Endicott. Montagnino finished 7-for-9 from the field and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe.

UP NEXT:   

• MIT will travel to Rhode Island College on Saturday, November 16 for a 7:30 PM contest. Endicott will play SUNY Poly as part of the Emmanuel Tournament in Boston, MA on Friday night at 8:00 PM.  

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