Monday, February 27, 2012

MIT Cuts Down Nets in NEWMAC Championship

The first time in history the nets have been cut at Rockwell Cage (Pic: Tom Gearty)
The #3 MIT Men's Basketball team earned their third NEWMAC Tournament Championship in four years with a 65-60 win over Springfield College today in Rockwell Cage. The Engineers move to 25-1 in this historic season with an automatic birth to the NCAA Division III Tournament, their fourth straight tournament appearance.

6'8" Will Tashman during the opening tip (Pic: Robert Krawitz)
Freshman Paul Dawson handles the point (Pic: Tom Gearty)
Junior Point Guard Mitchell Kates earned the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player award with 24 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and a steal. 6'8" Will Tashman, who earned the award during last year's championship, hauled in 10 rebounds along with his 5 points and 4 assists. All-American Noel Hollingsworth registered 14 points and 10 boards, while sharp-shooter Jamie Karraker connected on three three-pointers.

MIT has out-rebounded their opponents by over 11 rebounds per game this season (Pic: Robert Krawitz)
This is the first time the regular season champion has won the tournament championship since 2006 (Pic: Tom Gearty)
On the defensive end, seniors Billy Bender and Daniel Mccue suffocated Springfield with their relentless pressure. This is the Engineers 11th straight win over the Pride.

Kates makes an acrobatic move for 2 of his 24 points (Pic: Robert Krawitz)
The NCAA Tournament pairings will be announced via webcast Monday at noon here: http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2012-02-20/winter-championships-selections

Fans are invited to watch the show with the MIT team in the Coffee House Lounge on the third floor of the Stratton Student Center.

MIT students and fans celebrate the victory (Pic: Tom Gearty)