Second-Half Surge Pushes MIT Past Men's Basketball

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers men's basketball team (7-4) used a second-half surge to rally past the Wentworth Institute of Technology by an 80-70 score in non-conference action Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After two from Russell Dolabany got Wentworth out to an early 2-0 lead, MIT responded with five-straight, including a three from Isaac Dobie. The Leopards scored four-straight, with baskets from Sean Racette and Jack Connell, to take a 6-5 edge before the Engineers later responded to take an 11-8 lead. The two teams traded scores until a three by Kade Kileen pushed MIT's lead to 20-14.
• Makes from Racette and Nathaniel Smith cut Wentworth's deficit to 20-18 before the Leopards answered two MIT free throw makes with a 9-2 run, featuring seven points from Connell, to take a 27-24 lead. Dobie scored five of the Engineers' seven-straight points, re-taking a lead at 31-27, before the Leopards finished the half on a 7-0 run, featuring a three from Dolabany, to hold a 34-31 advantage at the break.
• After Merlin Gogolin capped a 4-0 run for the Engineers to take a 35-34 edge in the opening of the second half, Connell drained four-straight of his own to regain the Leopards' lead at 38-35. MIT scored ten-straight, featuring four from Gogolin, to take a 45-38 lead before four-straight from Wentworth were answered by a Dobie three, marking a 48-42 score.
• Later in the frame, a three by Nathan Brinkman was matched with another by Dobie, marking a 53-47 score, before MIT rattled off 11-straight to extend their lead to 64-47. A layup by Aiden Flaherty helped cut the deficit to 64-50 before five-straight from Rosich later on cut the Leopards' deficit to 67-55.
• After a Gogolin layup marked a 70-57 lead, Donovan Hollway drained a three to start a 5-0 run that cut the deficit to 70-62. A dunk by Parker Spann was part of a 7-0 run for the Engineers that pushed their lead to 77-62 before threes by Brinkman and Rosich sandwiched a three by the Engineers, extending the score to 80-68. One final Brinkman make cut the deficit to 80-70, which would hold as the final score.
• Wentworth shot 58.3 percent from the floor in the first half to the Engineers' 35.7 percent. All five starters for the Engineers drained double-figures, led by Dobie who totaled a game-high 21 points. Connell guided the Black & Gold with 17 points (7-13 FG), followed by Rosich (10 points, three steals) and Brinkman (10 points, team-high six rebounds).

SERIES NOTES:

• Today marked the 15^th all-time meeting between the two teams.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth travels to Miami Gardens, Fla. to participate in the two-day Cruzin' Classic tournament on December 19-20.
  

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