Sports

Yale Bulldogs Wear Down Men’s Basketball, 86-63Women’s Basketball Falls to Simmons, 48-40Sailing Captures Second-Place Finish at Rose Bowl Regatta

Yale Bulldogs Wear Down Men’s Basketball, 86-63

Facing its first Division I opponent in 18 years, MIT was unable to keep pace with Yale University’s size and depth as the Bulldogs outscored the Engineers by 10 in each half en route to an 86-63 victory on Saturday.

James M. “Jimmy” Bartolotta ’09 wowed the largest crowd the Engineers have seen this season with several spectacular plays, but despite his terrific performance and game-high 32 points, MIT had few answers for Yale’s inside attack.

In addition to delivering his fifth 30-point game of the season, Bartolotta added three blocks and three steals on the defensive end. Willard J. “Billy” Johnson ’09 chipped in 13 points and six rebounds, while rookie James D. Karraker ’12 finished with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Bradley H. Gampel ’09 added four points and a team-best six assists while the rest of the MIT contingent combined to finish 0-of-9 from the field.

The victory moved Yale’s all-time record against MIT to 6-0 as the teams met on the hardwood for the first time since 1973. The game marked the Engineers’ third game versus a Division I opponent since 1986.

—James Kramer, DAPER Staff

Women’s Basketball Falls to Simmons, 48-40

Simmons College tallied 12 unanswered points during the final four minutes of regulation to pull out a 48-40 win over host MIT in non-conference women’s basketball action on Saturday. Cheryl M. Kwinn ’09 reached double-digits in rebounding for the third game in a row with 20 boards to go along with seven points and a team-high four assists for the Engineers.

Simmons quickly established a 7-2 advantage, which MIT matched on a basket by Clara J. Yuan ’09 and a three-pointer from Jamie L. Simmons ’12. After a 17-5 Simmons run, MIT narrowed the gap to seven (24-17) at the break courtesy of a layup and free throw by Hannah E. Sparkman ’12 and a jumper from Yuan.

Simmons maintained a slight edge until midway through the second half when a Jamie Simmons’ steal setup a layup by Yuan which ignited a 12-4 run and resulted in MIT’s largest lead (40-36) with 4:19 remaining. A final push from the Sharks put Simmons ahead for good with 2:11 left to play.

Yuan posted a team-high 12 points while Sparkman added six coming off the bench. Kristen E. Whaley ’11 collected nine rebounds as Amy J. Marshall ’09 contributed six of her own.

—Mindy Brauer, DAPER Staff

Sailing Captures Second-Place Finish at Rose Bowl Regatta

The MIT sailing team rang in the New Year in style with a remarkable second place finish out of 24 entries at the Rose Bowl Regatta this past Saturday. With an amazing score of 95, the Engineers fell just nine points shy of event winner and nationally ranked No. 1 Boston College. Both MIT and BC were the only teams who finished with scores lower than 100, as the tallies ranged from 86 to 396.

The Engineers proved incredibly consistent between both A and B divisions, with the former placing fourth in its circuit and the latter third. In an extraordinary showing, both groups placed in the top nine in all nine races. Along the way, A team skipper Brooks L. Reed ’09 and crew Lisa A. Schlecht ’10 finished second twice and first once, while B squad leader Joshua C. Leighton ’10 and crew Victoria E. Lee ’10 slotted third twice and first once. Each team closed with four top-five finishes.

“Not a bad way to start the 2009 season!” exclaimed MIT Sailing Master Fran Charles.

Rounding out the top five teams were Georgetown University, the College of Charleston, and St. Mary’s College.

—Mike Stoller, DAPER Staff