FITCHBURG, Mass. – Sophomore Isaac Dobie (Kitty Hawk, N.C.) scored a game-high 25 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lead the MIT men's basketball team to an 82-72 victory over Fitchburg State on Thursday night at Parkinson Gymnasium. 

THE BASICS:  

• Score: MIT 82, Fitchburg State 72 
• Records: MIT (4-1 Overall), Fitchburg State (0-6 Overall) 

HOW IT HAPPENED:   

• Fitchburg State got out to an early lead in the contest. The Falcons outscored the Engineers, 22-10, through the opening six and half minutes of the first half, as a layup by sophomore Joshua Jean Charles (Dorchester, Mass.) gave the hosts their largest lead of the game at the 13:39 mark. 
• From that point forward the game tipped in favor of the Engineers. MIT slowly closed the gap until a triple by sophomore Michael Zhang (Jacksonville, Fla.) with 2:21 to play in the opening half gave MIT its first lead since the opening minutes of the game, 35-33. Another three pointer, this time from senior Kade Killeen (Austin, Texas) at 1:40, gave MIT a 38-33 lead at halftime. 
• The second half belonged to MIT, as the Engineers shot 56.5% from the floor and knocked down 6-of-10 shots from beyond the arc. The MIT lead would grow to as many as 19 points, when a pair of free throws from Dobie completed a 16-2 Engineers run just past the midway point 
• A Fitchburg State layup "and one" from junior Jalin Pitts (Palatka, Fla.) brought the MIT lead back to single digits, 74-65, with nine minutes to play but the Falcons never trimmed the deficit past the nine-point margin. 
• Dobie dropped in MIT's final points with 2:56 left, giving the Engineers an 82-69 lead. MIT would go on to close out the game, 82-72. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Sophomore Merlin Gogolin (New York, N.Y.) added 18 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double for MIT. 
• Dobie, Gogolin, Zhang, and senior guard Spencer Lin (Menlo Park, Calif.) each played over 30 minutes for MIT.  
• Killeen was perfect from the floor, knocking down three three-pointers for 12 points. He was one rebound away from a double-double with nine in 28 minutes of action. 
• Senior Nathaniel Semedo (Bridgewater, Mass.) was the high scorer for Fitchburg State with 16 points. He was one of three Fitchburg State players in double figures, along with Matthew Drayton (Boston, Mass.) and Jalen Jackson (San Antonio, Texas). 

UP NEXT:

• MIT will travel to Tufts next Tuesday, November 26, for a 7:00 PM non-conference match-up. Fitchburg State will host Lasell on Saturday, November 23, at 12:00 PM.  

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