MIT Takes Care of Springfield 55-51

Box Score

In a classic NEWMAC defensive battle, MIT and Springfield battled it out to the end in Rockwell Cage this afternoon. MIT held Springfield to zero points through the first 8 minutes of play, and the game was knotted at 28-21 at the half. Both teams continued their defensive intensity through the second half while also putting on a display from beyond the arc. MIT was able to convert on their free-throws at the end to hold on to the 55-51 win.

Justin Pedley nailed 7 threes on the night (Pic: Robert Krawitz)

6'6" Sophomore Justin Pedley scorched the nets for a career-high 27 points including a career-high 7 three-pointers. Freshman Dakota Pierce came up big for the Engineers, scoring 12 points and going 4-of-4 from the free-throw line down the stretch. 6'8" Andrew Acker added 8 points and 12 boards, his 10th game of double-figures in the rebounding column.

MIT held Springfield to just 28% shooting in the 1st half (Pic: Robert Krawitz)

MIT moves to 11-3 on the season and will travel to Babson College on Wednesday.

Game Preview: MIT vs. Springfield

MIT vs. Springfield 
Saturday, Rockwell Cage - Cambridge, MA, 2pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (10-3, 2-1)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Springfield (11-3, 2-1)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	12.7	9.5		Tim Swenson	6'7"	12.4	9.9
Andrew Acker	6'8"	10.8	9.8		Robbie Burke	6'4"	13.8	7.5
Dennis Levene	6'8"	5.4	4.6		Nick Sienkiewicz	6'3"	8.8	2.5
Justin Pedley	6'6"	15.5	1.5		Alex Garstka	6'1"	12.6	2.6
Dakota Pierce	6'3"	4.3	1.6		Sean Martin	6'1"	12.4	2.4 spg

A Look at Springfield:

Springfield is currently 11-3 and are coming off a 19-win season and a NCAA Tournament at-large bid. The Pride have a vey balanced offense with almost their entire starting lineup scoring in double figures, and scoring 85 points per game as a team (which is top 20 in the country). Springfield has a rich basketball tradition (Basketball was invented at Springfield) and have had five straight winning seasons.

Springfield will certainly look to push the ball in transition, but will look to score when the opportunity presents itself. In the half-court, they will run one of their many sets and will look to score off one of the options from each set. They have a solid inside presence in Swenson and Burke and have shooters that can stroke it from beyond the arc.

Defensively Springfield is a gritty team, and will look to apply pressure and intensity for 40 minutes. MIT must be prepared for a number of different defensive strategies by the Pride.

Tune in at halftime for MITHoops.NET's analysis. 

MIT Survives Coast Guard Battle 53-49

Box Score

After holding Coast Guard to just 17 first half points, MIT survived the Bears' comeback in the second-half with key free-throws down the stretch, securing the 53-49 win.

Acker went for his seventh double-double of the season (Pic: Tom Gearty)

MIT's shooting woes from beyond the arc continued (shooting just 2-of-10 from three) as well as their ability to take care of the ball (the Engineers had 18 turnovers). Despite these troubles, MIT went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in the last seconds to secure their 10th win of the season.

Redfield continues to be one of the top threats in the NEWMAC (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Leading the way for the Engineers was 6'8" Junior co-captain Andrew Acker with 20 points and 12 rebounds. 6'8" Junior Matt Redfield added 13 points and 6 rebounds, while 6'6" Sophomore Justin Pedley added 10 points after nailing MIT's only two three-pointers.

MIT takes on Springfield on Saturday at 2pm.