Women’s basketball falls
Wellesley defeated MIT 54-42 on Saturday
Host Wellesley College capitalized on a 15-of-21 performance at the free throw line along with 26 points off turnovers as it defeated MIT, 54-42, in a NEWMAC women’s basketball game on Saturday. Sabrina M. Drammis ’16 led the Engineers (5-5, 2-3 NEWMAC) with a game-high 16 points as Mari R. Kordell ’15 tallied 11 points and five assists.
Durva N. Bhandare ’16 posted seven points and six rebounds while Rachel A. Hunt ’14 recorded eight boards and five blocks. Maya K. Ramachandran ’16 bolstered MIT’s efforts with eight rebounds and two blocks.
The Engineers jumped out to a 7-2 lead only to see the Blue go ahead, 10-7, after 5:45 elapsed. Baskets by Kordell and Drammis put MIT in front; however, after a pair of lead changes, Wellesley generated seven straight points to go up 19-13 with 4:20 left in the half. A layup by Michelle Battipaglia ’15 sparked a 10-3 run that was capped by a Drammis layup which gave the Engineers a 23-22 edge with 22 seconds on the clock. The Blue replied with a layup of its own to enter the intermission with the slim lead.
Wellesley carried the momentum into the second stanza as it mounted a 16-5 run to claim a 40-28 advantage at the 11:35 mark. Bhandare buried a three-pointer and then added a pair of free throws in fueling an eight-point spurt that brought MIT within four (40-36) with 7:04 remaining. The Blue responded with a 12-2 run during the next four minutes to establish its largest margin of the day at 14 (52-38). The Engineers quickly countered with baskets by Bhandare and Drammis but they could not overcome the 10-point deficit during the final two minutes of regulation.