CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Sophomore Isaac Dobie (Kitty Hawk, N.C.) scored 22 points and added six steals while Parker Spann (Omaha, Neb.) recorded a double-double, with 17 points and 11 rebounds, to lead the MIT men's basketball team to an 87-77 non-conference victory over UMass Dartmouth in the team's season opener on Saturday afternoon at Rockwell Cage.
Rome Delgado-Gonzalez (Miami, Fla.) added 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and five assists for MIT. Junior Josh Lopes (Taunton, Mass.) had a team-high 18 points for UMass Dartmouth, finishing 7-of-18 from the field while adding six rebounds and four assists.
THE BASICS:
- Score: MIT 87, UMass Dartmouth 77
- Records: MIT (1-0 Overall), UMass Dartmouth (0-1 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- In a fast-paced season opening ten minutes for both squads, the visiting Corsairs gained the first advantage, jumping out to an 11-point first half lead when graduate student Isaac Percy (Pittsfield, Mass.) knocked down a three-pointer at 12:51. Percy's triple capped an 8-0 UMass Dartmouth run that put the visitors ahead, 24-13.
- UMass Dartmouth's 11-point advantage was the largest of the first half for either team, as MIT erased the deficit over the next five minutes of play. A pair of free throws from Delgado-Gonzalez ignited a 12-2 Engineers run that ended with sophomore Wyatt Mowery (Winston-Salem, N.C.) knocking down a pair of free throws that gave MIT a 30-29 lead at 7:09.
- The Engineers and the Corsairs went back and forth over the next four minutes of play before MIT ended the half on a 9-0 run that sent the hosts into halftime with a five-point lead, 45-40.
- MIT took control of the contest at the start of the second half, increasing its lead from five to 15 points over the opening six minutes of play. A Delgado-Gonzalez layup at 14:12 gave MIT a 63-48 lead.
- UMass Dartmouth countered following the early MIT run, eventually trimming the deficit to five points, 71-66, when graduate student Jayquan Leonard (Plymouth, Mass.) knocked down a three with 6:29 left to play.
- The visitors would get no closer than the five point deficit in the second half. Five straight free throws pushed the MIT lead back to ten, 78-68, with 3:32 left in regulation.
- Back-to-back buckets from Lopes pulled UMass Dartmouth within six at the 2:17 mark but a dunk by Merlin Gogolin (New York, N.Y.), the final points of the day from Spann and another basket from Gogolin inside the final minute put the game out of reach.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- MIT finished the game 31-of-61 from the field, shooting 50.8%. The Engineers had the advantage in fastbreak points, 19-10, forcing 18 turnovers while limiting their own turnovers to just nine.
- Dobie, the 2023-24 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year already topped the 20-point mark this year after doing so eight times last season.
- Delgado-Gonzalez, the 2022-23 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year, was one assist shy of his career-high with five.
- Spann recorded his third career double-double and was one rebound shy of a career-high.
UP NEXT:
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MIT will host Endicott on Wednesday evening, November 13, at 7:00 PM. UMass Dartmouth will host the Lafrance Hospitality Tournament next Saturday and Sunday, November 16 and 17, at the Tripp Athletic Center.
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