PASADENA, Calif. – A 10-2 run during the final 4:31 of regulation helped the MIT women's basketball team pull away for a 64-50 season-opening win at Caltech on Saturday.
April Chan tallied eight rebounds, seven points, five assists, and three steals for the Engineers.
THE BASICS:
- Score: MIT 64, Caltech 50
- Records: MIT (1-0 Overall); Caltech (0-1 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- MIT jumped out to a 10-4 lead after a layup by Riley O'Sullivan midway through the opening quarter. Caltech tied the score at 10, but a jumper by Mary Lobon and then a three-point play from Ruth Lanouette increased the cushion to 15-10 with 1:03 left in the quarter. The Beavers, however, replied with a layup with 22 seconds on the clock.
- The Engineers maintained a small advantage throughout the second stanza until a three pointer and a pair of free throws inside the final 32 seconds gave Caltech a 26-25 edge at halftime.
- The early stages of the third quarter featured three ties and two lead changes. Trailing 29-27, a layup by Chan sparked a 9-2 run that put MIT ahead for good. The Beavers stayed close as they came within 36-34 at the 3:27 mark. The Engineers responded with another 9-2 run as O'Sullivan's put-back created some breathing room. However, Caltech trimmed its deficit to 45-41 by producing five straight points during the last 40 seconds of the frame.
- MIT outscored the Beavers, 9-3, during the first three minutes of the fourth quarter with Lanouette accounting for seven points. A layup and two free throws narrowed Caltech's gap to 54-48 with 5:53 on the clock. After some back-and-forth play, a layup by Brianna Lebrun sparked the 10-2 game-ending run for the visitors.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Lanouette tallied a team-high 17 points, a game-high four steals, and three assists while O'Sullivan totaled 12 points and seven rebounds.
- Olivia Joseph generated 10 points, four assists, and three blocks as Lobon corralled a game-high 11 rebounds and added three assists
- The was the first meeting between both teams since 2011-12 and MIT has won all five games.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will visit Pomona-Pitzer on Sunday, November 9 at 5:00 PM ET (2:00 PM PT). This will be the first meeting between both programs.
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