CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The MIT men's basketball team jumped to an early lead but needed a second half rally to earn a hard fought 72-63 NEWMAC victory over visiting Wheaton College on Saturday at Rockwell Cage.
The Engineers played with pace on offense and toughness on defense in the win, with junior Rome Delgado-Gonzalez (Miami, Fla.) leading the way with 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) scored a team-high 20 points for Wheaton.
THE BASICS:
- Score: MIT 72, Wheaton (MA) 63
- Records: MIT (5-4 Overall, 1-1 NEWMAC), Wheaton (4-6, 0-2 NEWMAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- It was all MIT through the opening six minutes of regulation, as the Engineers raced out to a 15-5 lead on the strength of a 15-3 run through the game's opening minutes.
- MIT would lead by as many as 14 points through the midway point of the first half, as a pair of free throws from Delgado-Gonzalez made the score 27-13 at 10:05.
- Sophomore Merlin Gogolin (New York, N.Y.) and Delgado-Gonzalez scored the next two MIT baskets to give the Engineers a 31-18 lead with 7:56 left in the first half. However, the Engineers offense stalled for the remainder of the half, as Wheaton embarked on a 12-0 run that closed the deficit to one, 31-30, at halftime.
- Five different players scored on the Wheaton run to end the first half, with the final basket coming on an Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) lay-up with 52 seconds to play. A three-point attempt from MIT senior Kade Killeen (Austin, Texas) was off the mark on the next MIT possession, sending the teams into the half with the Engineers leading by one.
- Wheaton rallied all the way back at the start of the second half, taking a 32-31 lead when senior Khaled Thaher (Amman, Jordan) dropped in a lay-up on the first Wheaton possession.
- Trailing for the first time since the opening minute of the game, MIT's offense reignited, scoring nine of the next 11 points in the game to help MIT retake the lead, 40-34.
- The Engineers would continue to lead in a tight contest throughout the second half. A Tim Minicozzi (Belmont, Mass.) layup pushed the lead to six points, 47-41, at 11:44, before a bucket from junior Parker Spann (Omaha, Neb.) would eventually give MIT an eight-point lead, 51-43, at the 9:38 mark.
- MIT would extend its advantage to 12 points with 3:46 to play following a pair of free throws from Delgado-Gonzalez that made the score 66-54. The Engineers held a double-digit lead until the final basket of the half when first year Sean Perri (West Roxbury, Mass.) knocked down a jumper for Wheaton to give the game its 72-63 final.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The Engineers limited Wheaton to just 2-of-23 shooting from beyond the arc, while holding a 42-30 edge on the glass.
- Delgado-Gonzalez scored a season-high 22 points for MIT. His career-high is 38 points, scored on Nov. 26, 2022 at Keene State.
- Gogolin added 17 points, seven boards and a pair of assists for MIT, while Minicozzi also finished in double figures with 12 points.
- Spann had a game-high eight rebounds for MIT. Morrissey matched the total for Wheaton to tie for game-high honors. Morrissey was two rebounds shy of a double-double with 10 points.
UP NEXT:
-
MIT returns to non-conference play on Wednesday, December 11, with a 7:00 PM game at Framingham State. Wheaton will break until the new year and return on January 2, 2025, when the Lyons host non-conference UMass Boston at 7:00 PM.
STAY CONNECTED:
