Sunday, January 29, 2012

#6 MIT Downs Coast Guard as Karraker and Hollingsworth near 1,000-Point Mark

The nationally-ranked MIT basketball squad took down Coast Guard yesterday afternoon in dominating fashion with an 80-55 victory. The Coast Guard Academy, an Elite Eight team just a few years back, could not keep up with Tech's inside presence and outside shooting.

Hollingsworth, a Junior eligibility-wise, leads the conference in scoring at 18.1 ppg (Pic: Robert Krawitz)

All-American Noel Hollingsworth poured game-highs of 23 points and 11 rebounds along with 2 assists and 2 blocks. Mitchell Kates scored 19 of his 21 points in the first half connecting on 5 three-pointers in the frame while dishing out 4 assists. Sharp-shooter Jamie Karraker connected on 5 three's as well for 15 points, while Senior Billy Bender filled the stat-sheet with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and a block. 6'8" Will Tashman hauled in 8 boards in just 19 minutes.

Junior Mitchell Kates is currently 22nd all-time at MIT in scoring (Pic: Robert Krawitz)
With the win, MIT moves to 18-1 overall and stands alone at first place in the NEWMAC with a 6-1 conference record. Juniors Jamie Karraker and Noel Hollingsworth are now both within striking distance of the 1,000-point mark, as Karraker needs 13 points and Hollingsworth 12 to reach the milestone. This would be one of the few instances, if ever, in NCAA history where two teammates score their 1,000th point in the same game. Junior Mitchell Kates reached the mark versus WPI last week.

6'7" Freshman Dennis Levene is a versatile athlete with an array of offensive and defensive weapons (Pic: Robert Krawitz)

MIT travels to Wheaton College on Wednesday for the 7pm tip-off.