MIT Rallies, Anderson Picks-Up 200th Win

Much like in their first meeting of the season, MIT used a late charge to comeback to beat Clark tonight in NEWMAC action at Rockwell Cage. Clark led for much of the game, but MIT made their shots down the stretch, including some big 3s by freshman guard Jimmy Burke, who scored 14 points including four 3s.

Clark came out of the gates playing good defense and limiting MIT's opportunities. They led by as many as 8 in the first half, including a 6 point lead at halftime. MIT continued their sluggish play coming out in the second half, trading baskets with Clark for the first five minutes. The Engineers would come to life, however going on a 6-0 spurt to draw within one with 13 minutes to play. Clark would cling to their lead for the next 6 minutes, until a huge three by Burke gave MIT their first lead since the opening minutes of the game. MIT would not relinquish the lead, although the game would remain tight, and made their FTs down the stretch to account for the final score of 59-52.

Sophomore Noel Hollingsworth was solid as usual for the Engineers, scoring 20 points on 8-10 shooting, while also picking up 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and 2 assists. Freshman point guard Mitchell Kates had a very efficient evening, scoring 13 points on 4-4 shooting. Will Tashman, another freshman, added 8 points and 8 rebounds for the Engineers. Coach Larry Anderson picked up his 200th career win (all at MIT) and is the first coach to do so in the programs 110 year history. On the season, MIT improves to 20-2, 19-1 in DIII, and 8-1 in the NEWMAC.

Official MIT Release

MIT hosts the US Coast Guard Academy at 2:00 PM this Saturday, February 13.

MIT Shoots for 20 Wins; Anderson Aims for 200

The nationally-ranked No. 11 MIT Engineers will seek to reach 20 wins for the third time in five seasons as it continues its best start in school history at home tonight against Clark. A victory against the Cougars (12-9, 3-5 NEWMAC) would also match the Engineers (19-2, 7-1) highest single-season win total in conference play and mark the 200th career victory for head coach Larry Anderson.

Clark is coming off an impressive 67-50 victory at Coast Guard, but is just 2-3 since its narrow loss to MIT on Jan. 16. Undefeated against Division III competition at the time, the Engineers erased a 14-point first half deficit and fought a raucous home crowd before hanging on for a 54-51 win at the Kneller Athletic Center. Mark Alexander had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but his good look from three fell short from the right wing. Noel Hollingsworth led all scorers with 17 points, while Brian Vayda paced the Cougars with 13. After trailing by eight at halftime, the Engineers surrendered just 16 points in the second half while holding Clark to 29% shooting from the floor.

Tonight's contest is expected to be a low-scoring affair as MIT (58.1 ppg) and Clark (64.3) rank first and second in the NEWMAC in scoring defense. Both squads are holding the opposition to a league-low 29% from beyond the arc. Alexander ranks third in the conference in scoring at 17.7 ppg, while Vayda, who is also the team's top rebounder, is sixth at 15.5.

MIT is 27-34 all-time against Clark, but has won the last three games and four out of the last five.