Women’s basketball prevails
Engineers beat Johnson & Wales University, 55–43
In the first meeting between two programs, MIT emerged with a 55-43 victory over Johnson & Wales University in a non-conference women’s basketball game on Wednesday night. Alexxis R. Isaac ’15 paced the Engineers (6-4) with 18 points, to go along with six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
The Wildcats took an early 6-4 edge, but MIT countered with a 15-6 run in a span of eight minutes to claim a 19-12 advantage at the 6:31 mark. Maya K. Ramachandran ’16 contributed seven points, including the first five of the rally. Johnson & Wales battled back and evened the score at 19, courtesy of a 5-of-6 performance at the free throw line and a layup with 3:10 to go.
Ramachandran’s free throw broke the deadlock almost a minute later, as two free throws and a layup by Isaac gave the Engineers some breathing room at 24-21. Johnson & Wales drained a pair of free throws on its next possession while Sharon S. Hao ’14 made both of her free throw attempts to give MIT a 26-23 lead at halftime.
The Wildcats sank two free throws to start the second stanza, but a three-point play by Sabrina M. Drammis ’16 sparked a 13-6 spurt, which resulted in a 39-31 advantage with 14:16 on the clock. Johnson & Wales recorded seven straight points during the next five minutes to come within one (39-38). This was as close as it would get, as MIT rattled off eight unanswered points, resulting in its largest cushion of the night with 5:05 remaining.
The hosts continued to attack, trimming the deficit to five (47-42) in the next 51 seconds. A layup by Isaac thwarted the comeback attempt while the Wildcats tallied what was their final point of the game from the free throw line at the 3:38 mark. The Engineers secured the victory with two free throws by Hao and Isaac during the final two minutes, and Mari R. Kordell ’15 buried a jumper with two ticks left.
Ramachandran racked up a game-high 12 rebounds and five blocks to go along with eight points and two assists. Kordell finished with 12 points, four boards, and four assists as Drammis hauled in eight rebounds. In addition to scoring all four of her points from the free throw line, Hao tacked on five steals and five rebounds.