CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Springfield College erased a 14-point first half deficit to earn a 79-69 victory over the MIT men's basketball team on Wednesday evening at Rockwell Cage. MIT was led by 15 points, four rebounds and three assists from senior guard Rome Delgado-Gonzalez as four different Engineers finished in double figures in the setback.
THE BASICS:
- Score: Springfield 79, MIT 69
- Records: Springfield 7-12 overall (5-5 NEWMAC); MIT 5-14 overall (1-9 NEWMAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- With Springfield leading 5-0 17:04 into the contest, 10 straight points from Wyatt Mowery kick-started the MIT offense and saw the Engineers take a 10-5 lead at 14:12.
- MIT continued to expand its lead over the next four minutes of play, as a three pointer from Isaac Dobie at 10:50 pushed the Engineers ahead, 16-7, before a layup from Merlin Gogolin gave the Engineers an 18-9 edge on MIT's next possession.
- MIT eventually pushed the lead to 14 points when Dobie connected on a three with 6:23 remaining in the first half, giving the hosts a 27-13 lead.
- The final 5:35 before halftime belonged to Springfield. A layup-and-one from Josh Hartley at 4:06 ignited a 10-0 Pride run that pulled the visitors within four, 29-25, following a three by John Paulino with 1:08 left in the half. A pair of free throws from Gogolin gave MIT a six-point advantage at the break, 31-25.
- Springfield erased MIT's lead over the first two and a half minutes of the second half. A fast break dunk from Josiah Evely at 17:22 gave the Pride its first lead since the opening minutes of the first half, 34-33.
- MIT took the lead back, 36-34, three possessions later thanks to a three pointer from Delgado-Gonzalez, but the lead was short lived following a triple from Paulino on the ensuing Springfield possession.
- Springfield continued to lead until the midway point of the second half when a triple from Michael Zhang gave MIT a 53-52 advantage. However, Zhang's three would give MIT its final lead in the contest, as Springfield outscored the Engineers 27-16 over the final ten minutes of play.
- With MIT leading 53-52, a 9-0 Springfield run put the visitors out front, 61-53. Ajay Lopes capped the run with a jumper at 7:44.
- The Engineers stayed in range, trailing by a single possession at multiple points over the next five minutes. However, Springfield seized control of the game with 1:43 left when Xoren Livingston was fouled on a made three following a timeout. He completed the four-point play to give the Pride a 73-66 lead.
- The visitors would go on to extend the lead back to double figures in the final minute, securing the 79-69 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Zhang, 14 points, Mowery, 12 points, and Gogolin, 10 points, all joined Delgado-Gonzalez in double figures. Mowery ripped down six boards and had four blocks to add to his effort.
- Parker Spann had a team-high nine of MIT's 34 rebounds.
- Isaac Dobie had seven points and now has scored 928 points in his MIT career.
- Hartley finished with a game-high 16 points for Springfield. He was one of four members of the Pride in double figures, along with Evely, Lopes and Zachary Campbell.
- Springfield shot over 52.5% from the floor while limiting MIT to 35.6% shooting. The Engineers did knock down 12-of-29 three-point attempts.
- Springfield dominated the interior, outscoring MIT, 46-16. The Pride also had a 9-0 edge in fast break points.
UP NEXT:
- The Engineers will play at Salve Regina on Saturday, January 31 at 3:00 PM.
- The contest will be the second game of a NEWMAC doubleheader on Saturday that features the MIT and Salve Regina women's teams in game one at 1:00 PM.
STAY CONNECTED:
