Men’s basketball beats Newbury and Lesley
With additional wins, MIT establishes 8-0 record — best among all Div. III schools
The nationally ninth-ranked MIT’s Men’s Basketball recorded two more wins, on Thursday and Saturday, to establish an impressive 8-0 record, the best among all Divison III schools.
On Thursday, MIT managed an dominant 93-50 win against Newbury College (3-3), led by Noel Hollingsworth ’12 who had a double-double with 33 points and 14 rebounds along with two blocks. By the 11th minute of the game, MIT had a 23-7 lead, an outcome of the Engineer’s offense taking advantage of weak defense in the paint by Newbury. However, Newbury was able to recover by the end of the first half, cutting the lead to 34-28, as buckets refused to fall for the Engineers.
The Engineers dominated the second half, which has been characteristic of the team all season, by outscoring Newbury 31-5 during the middle 10 minutes of the half. The majority of the scoring was made deep inside the paint or beyond the arc, exemplifying the versatility of the Engineer’s offense. MIT’s dominance of the boards proved to be a big part of their game, as in the past, with the team’s 48 rebounds (versus Newbury’s 22) and converting for 25 second-chance points.
Like Hollingsworth, William Tashman ’13 managed a double-double with 10 rebounds and 12 points, along with outstanding defense with three steals and one block; James D. Karraker ’12 made five 3-pointers, for a total of 15 points. Mitchell H. Kates ’13, the team’s playmaker, had eight assists and eight points. Off the bench, freshman Paul E. Dawson, saw 14 minutes of play during which he grabbed three rebounds, delivered two assists, snatched a steal, and made six of seven free throws. With these stats, he shows promise as a future leader on the floor for the team.
In the Saturday game against Lesley University, Kates not only delivered six assists, but also six buckets. He scored a season-high 28 points, going 10-for-10 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line. To top off his perfect game, Kates’ made four steals. Kates wasn’t the only player who went perfect from the line, as the entire team converted a 100 percent free-throw percentage, going 18-for-18. William E. Bender ’12 recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds and 10 points.
The game began close but fell apart quickly for Lesley. With 12:31 left in the first half, the teams were tied at 18. The team took off from that point on, though, ending the half on a 26-11 run for a 44-29 lead at the end of the half. The Engineers ended up defeating Lesley (2-3) 92-52 win. Hollingsworth ended the game with 17 points and three blocks; Karraker managed 14 points, 12 of which came from beyond the 3-point line. Tashman recorded 15 of the Engineers’ 50 rebounds in the game, and also delivered five assists.
MIT’s consistency continues to lead the team to victory. The team’s ability to play hard when it matters helps them keep up with and eventually dominate their opposition. MIT will have a big test at home on Thursday against Salem State (6-2). Before then, MIT will be playing at UMass Boston (2-4) on Tuesday at 7 p.m.