Bartolotta Shines Again, Leads Team to Victory

In just his 2nd game of the season, former MIT star Jimmy Bartolotta led his Icelandic squad, IR Reykjavik, to a 97-89 victory over Njardvik. Bartolotta led the team with 32 points, on 9-16 shooting, as well as adding 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. In his first two games with IR, Bartolotta has scored 58 points on 17-29 shooting (17-18 FTs).

The full boxscore for this afternoon's game can be found at the Iceland Express League website.

Pictures from the game can be found here.

IR next plays on Thursday, January 20.

MIT Back on Track With Conference Win

Image Courtesy of Dawn Anderson
After struggling through the last two weeks of play, MIT got back on track this afternoon with a strong 77-63 win over conference foe Clark University. MIT came out strong, building a double-digit lead in the first half behind 6-8 shooting from 3. They took a 37-24 lead into the halftime break. The second half was played much more tightly, but MIT was able to deny any type of Clark run to allow for the comfortable win. MIT shot over 56% for the game, including 67% in the second half. The were stellar from outside also, converting 12 of 18 3-point attempts. In addtion to their offensive prowess, the Engineers controlled the paint, outrebounding Clark 39-17 and allowing only two second chance points.

Playing one of his best games of the year was Mitchell Kates, who scored 17 points on 5-6 shooting, also adding 5 assists (with just 2 turnovers). Will Tashman was also big for MIT, with 15 points and 15 rebounds.

The full game boxscore can be found at the Official MIT Athletics website.

MIT continues NEWMAC play in their next contest as they travel to Springfield College on Wednesday, January 19, for a 7:00 PM tip.

MIT Falls at WPI

Image Courtesy of Dawn Anderson
For the fourth time in five games, MIT was unable to overcome their offensive woes, and fell tonight at the hands of a nationally-ranked WPI squad. WPI got off to a hot start, leading 16-5 after just 8.5 minutes. The teams would play relatively even the rest of the half, with MIT trailing 21-30 at the intermission. The beginning of the second half proved to be pivotal, however, as WPI surged out of the break on an 8-0 run, to go up 17. The would not look back, cruising to a 68-53 victory.

MIT was led by Mitchell Kates, who scored 15 points on 6-10 shooting. Will Tashman added 9 points and 7 rebounds, while freshman Tim Donegan scored 10 points on 5-6 shooting. The full boxscore can be found at the official MIT Athletics website.

MIT continues NEWMAC play this Saturday, January 15th, at 2:00 PM, when they host Clark University.

MIT Drops NEWMAC Opener

Image Courtesy of Dawn Anderson
MIT dropped their NEWMAC opener to Babson this afternoon at Rockwell Cage. The Engineers could not overcome their offensive struggles, shooting just 35% from the field as a team, including 32% from 3. MIT had 4 players score in double figures, but none with more than 12 points.

A full recap of the game can be found at the official MIT Athletics website, as well as the boxscore.

MIT next travels to take on NEWMAC power WPI on Wednesday, January 12, for a 7:00 PM tip. The game can be followed via livestats at the following link.

Bartolotta Leads Team in Scoring in First Appearance of Season

MIT alum, and 2009 DIII Men's Basketball Player of the Year, Jimmy Bartolotta has signed with IR Reykjavik of the Express Basketball League, the top league in Iceland. Bartolotta played with Air Avellino of Serie A in Italy last season.

In his first appearance last night, Bartolotta led his team in scoring with 26 points, on 8-13 shooting, against one of the top teams in the league, Keflavik. The full box score and story can be found at EuroBasket.com. Bartolotta and IR on Janueary 16 against Njardvik.

Follow Jimmy at his new blog: http://jimmybartolotta.blogspot.com/
Jimmy talks about getting his Italian passport, working out with his new team, and the many pleasant distractions in Iceland!

MIT Rallies to Defeat Tufts

Image Courtesy of Dawn Anderson
MIT ended tonight's game against Tufts University on an 18-6 run over the final 7 minutes, to erase a 10-point deficit and pull out a close, 71-69, non-conference win. MIT was led by Mitchell Kates, who had 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Will Tashman was also big for The Engineers, posting a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in 40 minutes of action. Freshman Nick Davis also played well, scoring 15 points on 5-5 shooting.

Visit the official MIT Athletics website for the full game recap and the boxscore.

MIT opens conference play this Saturday, January 8, when they host Babson College at 2:00 PM.

MIT Remains at #19 in D3Hoops.com Poll

MIT remained at the #19 spot in the D3Hoops.com Top 25, this week, after not playing any games against DIII opponents. MIT dropped a few votes, after a loss to DI Harvard, for a total of 180 (-7).

Note that the poll is through games Sunday, January 2, 2011, so the loss to Bridgewater State on Monday, January 3rd is not factored in these rankings.

MIT next hosts Tufts on Wednesday, January 5 at 8:00 PM.

MIT Loses Rhythm in Second Half, Falls to Bridgewater

Image Courtesy of Dawn Anderson
MIT took an 11 point lead into halftime, but could not hold off Bridgewater State in the second half tonight, dropping an 82-70 decision. MIT held the lead throughout most of the first half, building it to as many as 13, but a myriad of turnovers and poor defensive possessions were too much for the Engineers to overcome in the second stanza. Leading MIT were sophomores Mitchell Kates (24 points, 4 assists, 4 steals) and Will Tashman (8 points, 14 rebounds).

Visit the official MIT athletics for a full game recap and the boxscore.

MIT next hosts Tufts University on Wednesday, January 5 at 8:00 PM.

MIT Falls to Harvard, Hollingsworth Out for Season

Despite a great effort, MIT fell to Harvard 84-58 this afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion on the Harvard campus. MIT was led by Will Tashman, who scored 19 points and had 5 rebounds, despite foul trouble. MIT took a brief lead 6.5 minutes into the contest, but had no answer for the size and athleticism of the Harvard players, getting out-rebounded by 16 and having 9 shots blocked. More photos of the game can be found here or here.

Noel Hollingsworth, who was named a 1st Team Preseason All-American by D3Hoops.com, did not play in the game because of injury. Hollingsworth has been plagued by injury all season, starting only 2 games, while making appearances in just 6 games overall. Hollingsworth suffered a torn shoulder labrum in the first game of the season. He attempted to play through the injury, but after lack of improvement of the shoulder, doctors advised that he shut it down for the season. Hollingsworth will apply for a medical waiver (as current MIT assistant coach Billy Johnson was able to do last year), which will put him in the same athletic class as sophomores Mitchell Kates, Will Tashman, and Jamie Karraker.

Holiday Greetings from MIT Basketball

Image Courtesy of Dawn Anderson
The MIT basketball program wants to wish all their friends, families, and fans a very happy holidays. Wishing you all the best in 2011!

Don't forget to come support the Engineers as they travel up Mass Ave to take on the Harvard Crimson on December 31 for a 2:00 PM tip.