Hoops teams fall to Mt. Holyoke, Coast Guard
Men’s and women’s teams to close regular seasons in home doubleheader Saturday
Both the MIT Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams lost last weekend, as the men were upset by Coast Guard and the women could not hold on against Mount Holyoke.
The men’s team traveled to New London, Conn. on Saturday to take on the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The Engineers were looking to extend a four-game road winning streak, but could not do so against the Bears, losing 62-53.
Despite leading Coast Guard in shooting percentage — 42.9 percent to 38.9 percent — the Engineers turned the ball over 21 times.
In the first half, Coast Guard got out to a quick start, scoring the first two baskets and stretching their lead to seven less than six minutes in. The Engineers then went on a 8-0 run to take their first lead of the night, 12-11. The teams then traded leads until the half, with the Engineers entering the break up by two, 30-28.
Coast Guard would not regain the lead until six minutes were left in the game, but took a 51-50 lead for good. The Engineers were held without a field goal for the final 8:16 of the game, during which they were outscored 15-4 and committed six turnovers.
William Tashman ’13 led the Engineers with 16 points and was the only MIT player in double-digits. He also grabbed 10 rebounds.
The women’s team hosted Mount Holyoke on Saturday, looking to snap a four-game losing streak. They got out to a quick start, scoring the first six points of the game, but Mount Holyoke responded with six unanswered points of their own. After trailing 10-8, MIT went on a 12-2 run and went into halftime leading 20-14.
The Engineers kept their momentum coming out of the break, outscoring Mount Holyoke 13-2 in the first seven minutes of the second half to extend their lead to 17 points, 33-16. They were unable to hold the lead, however, as the visitors responded with a 28-6 run in the last 12 minutes for a final score of 44-39.
Tamara R. Pena ’14 led MIT with 15 points, and Rachel A. Hunt ’14 contributed eight points and eight rebounds.
The teams will close their regular seasons at home on Saturday, Feb. 19, with the women facing Smith at 1 p.m., followed by the men taking on Springfield at 3 p.m. The seniors on both teams will be recognized on Saturday.