Thursday, December 8, 2011

#7 MIT Downs Salem State

The #7 MIT Engineers led by as much as 28 points over visiting Salem State, and eventually cruised to a 78-66 victory tonight at Rockwell Cage. Tech accumulated 9 steals and 6 blocks on defense, while dishing out 17 assists offensively. Salem State, who boasts 18 league championships and 21 NCAA Tournament appearances, could not handle MIT's inside and outside game, as the Engineers shot 40% from three and scored 46 points in the paint.

Mitchell Kates drives past Salem State's Andrew White. Kates is majoring in Computer Science (Pic: Tom Gearty)

After scoring a career-high 27 points on Tuesday, Jamie Karraker decided to one-up that with a 28-point performance tonight versus the Vikings. Karraker connected on 7 three-pointers, now just 8 three-pointers away from becoming MIT's all-time three-point field goal leader.

Senior Billy Bender swarms Salem State's Apollos Wade. Bender currently has a 73-23 record while playing at MIT (Pic: Tom Gearty)

All-American Noel Hollingsworth poured in 20 points along with 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 2 steals. This is Hollingsworth's ninth game in double-digits and fifth time scoring 20 or more points. Fellow big-man Will Tashman produced his sixth double-double of the season with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.

6'9" Noel Hollingsworth keeps Salem State's Hamed Akanni at bay. Hollingsworth, who has another year of eligibility, has 835 career points (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Mitchell Kates showed why he is one of the best point guards in the nation, finishing the night with 14 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Senior Billy Bender added 6 points and 10 rebounds.

Freshman Paul Dawson runs the show. Dawson, a biological engineering major, led his high school team to two state championships in Georgia (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Tech travels to Tufts University on Saturday at 3pm. The Tufts Jumbos are 6-2 on the season, with their only two losses coming in overtime.