Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Tech Takes Care of Gordon at Home

Box Score

The Engineers earned their second straight win of the early season tonight with a convincing 67-48 victory over CCC preseason favorites Gordon College in Rockwell Cage.

MIT, one of the biggest teams in the country, used their length on the defensive end (Pic: Tom Gearty)
Despite MIT's shooting woes from beyond the arc (the Engineers were 4-of-14 from three), MIT was able to convert inside the paint, shooting 52% from two. MIT also dominated the defensive end, holding the Fighting Scots to just 37.8% shooting and 2-of-20 from three while forcing 17 turnovers.

Dynamic point guard Paul Dawson led the Engineers while entertaining the crowd with some spectacular plays (Pic: Tom Gearty)
Junior point guard Paul Dawson led the way for the Engineers with a stellar 17-point, 8-assist, 4-steal, 3-rebound performance all while locking down Gordon's guards the full length of the court. He was also part of the play of the night, a cross-court alley-oop pass to 6'8" Matt Redfield, who then threw down it with authority. Redfield, who was the focus of Gordon's defense and was double- and triple-teamed the entire contest, put up 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.

Junior Andrew Acker has been unstoppable the first two games, averaging a double-double (Pic: Tom Gearty)
6'8" Junior Andrew Acker continued his domination on the boards, hauling in 11 rebounds while scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. 6'8" Junior Dennis Levene and 6'6" Sophomore Justin Pedley both pitched in 9 points for the win.

6'8" Matt Redfield, an All-Conference selection last season, flies above the rim for the alley-oop (Pic: Tom Gearty)
MIT faces Bridgewater State on Thursday at 7pm in Rockwell Cage.



Monday, November 18, 2013

Game Preview: MIT vs. Gordon

MIT vs. Gordon College
Tuesday, Rockwell Cage, 7pm

Live Stats | Video



Possible Starters:
MIT (1-0) Ht. PPG RPG Gordon (0-2) Ht. PPG RPG
Matt Redfield 6'8" 8.0 10.0 Hans Miersma 6'9" 11.5 7.0
Andrew Acker 6'8" 9.0 18.0 Alex Carnes 6'4" 14.5 5.5
Dennis Levene 6'8" 5.0 2.0 Taylor Bajema 6'4" 11.5 5.5
Justin Pedley 6'6" 23.0 1.0 Luke Hamilton 6'3" 2.5 1.0
Paul Dawson 5'10" 5.0 6.0 apg Park Thomas 6'0" 7.5 2.5 apg

A Look at Gordon College:
Gordon College, voted preseason favorites to win their conference, posted a 21-7 record last season, going 14-4 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference before falling in the conference championship game to Curry College. Gordon and MIT met each other last year in the Bennett Center at Gordon where the game was neck-and-neck the entire contest. MIT eventually earned the hard-fought 64-53 win.

With four guards in the starting lineup, Gordon likes to run a continuous motion offense with a 4-out-1-in set. With some size coming off the bench, notably 6'6" Jason Dempsey, Gordon will then move to 3-out-2-in offensive sets. Defensively Gordon prefers a half-court man-to-man strategy, and will most likely look to protect the paint with MIT's size. Look for MIT's shooters to take advantage of these opportunities.



Last Week at MIT...(11/17)

MIT Alum Wins Nobel Prize in Economics

President Obama Selects MIT Professor to Head Office of Science

MIT Technology Makes it Possible to "Be" Two Places at Once

Men's and Women's Soccer, Men's and Women's Cross Country Earn NCAA Bids




MIT Overpowers Lesley in Season Opener


The MIT Engineers started the 2013-2014 campaign with a 68-52 win over Lesley University in Rockwell Cage Friday evening.

After the Lynx scored the opening basket, the Engineers responded by converting on the next four possessions, including a back-to-back dunk and three-pointer by Junior captain Dennis Levene. MIT never looked back for the rest of the contest, overpowering Lesley with their size while utilizing a balanced offensive attack both inside the paint and beyond the three. The Engineers led by as much as 27 points and out-rebounded Lesley 49-27, including 23 offensive boards.

Sophomore Justin Pedley (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Sophomore Justin Pedley led the way offensively, scorching the nets for 23 points on seven three-pointers. Junior captain Matt Redfield stuffed the stat sheet with 8 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, and a put-back dunk on the night, while fellow captain Andrew Acker added 9 points and dominated the glass with a career-high 18 rebounds.

Freshman Dakota Pierce came off the bench to add 8 points and 4 rebounds in 17 minutes while Junior point guard Paul Dawson paced the Engineer’s offense dishing out 6 assists.

MIT takes on Gordon College next Tuesday at 7pm in Rockwell Cage.


Thursday, November 14, 2013

Game Preview: MIT vs. Lesley University

MIT vs. Lesley University
Friday, Rockwell Cage, 7pm

Live Stats | Video



Possible Starters:
MIT (0-0) Lesley (0-0)
Matt Redfield, Jr, 6'8" Kris Bennett, Sr, 6'8"
Andrew Acker, Jr, 6'8" Nikalus Oliver, Jr, 6'5"
Dennis Levene, Jr, 6'8" Mike Kaufman, Sr, 6'2"
Justin Pedley, So, 6'6" Max McCoy, Fr, 6'0"
Paul Dawson, Jr, 5'10" Justin Rosa, Jr, 6'0"

A Look at Lesley University:
The Lesley Lynx posted a 7-9 conference record last season with solid wins over Regis, Daniel Webster, and Southern Vermont. They suffered a 1-point loss to Gordon College, runners up in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.

Friday marks the first game of the 2013-2014 season as well for the Lynx. They faced Franklin Pierce University, a Division II team that made it to the Elite 8 last season, on Tuesday in an exhibition game.

Lesley likes to push the ball in transition, looking to get to the rim or kick out for the open three. In the half-court, Lesley has shown a 4-around-1 motion offense with a heavy emphasis on dribble penetration. The Engineers will have to contain Lesley's transition offense and clog the lane with their length.




Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Poor Shooting Plagues MIT in Preseason Tuneup

The Engineers shot just 28% from the field to go along with 29 turnovers in their preseason exhibition tuneup versus Division I Harvard University tonight, falling to the Crimson 79-37.

Point guard Paul Dawson drives against Siyani Chambers (Photo: Tom Gearty) 
Harvard, last year's Ivy League champions, brought back nearly their entire squad from their 2012-2013 NCAA Tourney team, and added seniors Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, who were sidelined last season, to the mix. Harvard shot 46% from the field and won the rebounding battle 37-33.

Junior captain Matt Redfield was one rebound away from a double-double (Photo: Tom Gearty)

Although MIT certainly found the areas they need to improve on, the young Engineers got a glimpse of some of the weapons they have in store. High-flying 6'8" junior captain Matt Redfield, an All-Conference selection last year, led the Engineers with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Redfield comes into the season coming off a standout Sophomore campaign, posting a 59.5% FG% (3rd all-time in MIT history), 49 blocks (3rd all-time), and 26 dunks (unofficially 1st all-time).

MIT also showed how bright the future might be, with solid play from the freshman trio of 6'10" Tim Higgins, 6'8" Tim Butala, and 6'3" guard Dakota Pierce. Pierce showed his sweet stroke and his ability to get to the basket, while the "Big Tims" were a presence in the paint on both the offensive and defensive ends.

Freshman Dakota Pierce takes it to the hoop over Harvard's Jonah Travis
"We played a really good and well-coached team," Head Coach Larry Anderson said after the exhibition. "It provided us with the opportunity to measure where we are as individuals and, more importantly, where we are as a team."

"I like where we are at right now even though we understand that we have a lot to do."

The Engineers tip off the 2013-2014 season on Friday vs. Lesley University at Rockwell Cage.

Box Score


Monday, November 11, 2013

Game Preview (Exhibition): MIT vs. Harvard

MIT vs. Harvard (Exhibition Game*)
Tuesday, Lavieties Pavilion, 7pm

Video | Live Stats | Tickets
Radio: WHRB 95.3 - Cambridge

*This game counts as a regular season game for Harvard and an exhibition game for MIT due to the differences in start dates between Divisions

Junior Captain Dennis Levene drives against Harvard in last year's preseason exhibition

Possible Starters:
MIT (0-0) Harvard (1-0)
Matt Redfield, Jr, 6'8" Kyle Casey, Sr, 6'7"
Andrew Acker, Jr, 6'8" Steve Moundou-Missi, Jr, 6'7"
Dennis Levene, Jr, 6'8" Wesley Saunders, Jr, 6'5"
Justin Pedley, So, 6'6" Brandyn Curry, Sr, 6'1"
Paul Dawson, Jr, 5'10" Siyani Chambers, So, 6'0"

A Look at Harvard:
The Harvard Crimson were the Ivy League Champions last season, posting a 20-10 record and advancing to the 3rd Round of the Division I NCAA Tournament before falling to the University of Arizona.

Harvard started the 2013-2014 campaign off with a 82-72 win over Holy Cross at TD BankNorth Garden on Sunday. Jonah Travis scored 20 points with 10 rebounds and Wesley Saunders added 18.





Last Week at MIT...(11/10)

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi Visits MIT

MIT Battery Startup, Funded by Bill Gates, Aims to Invent "Colossal Yet Cheap Battery"

MIT Professor and Historian Granted Major "Lifetime Achievement" Award 

MIT Researchers Selected for NASA Institute

Men's & Women's Cross-Country Win NEWMAC Championship

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Fall Championship Week



Fall Championship Week is underway for the NEWMAC in various sports, with MIT in the heart of it.

Last week MIT took home the NEWMAC championship in Women's Tennis, Women's Cross Country, as well as Men's Cross Country. The women's tennis team finished the Fall slate undefeated and ranked #17 in the country. The women's cross-country team, who was ranked as high as #3 in the nation this season, captured their 7th consecutive NEWMAC title, while the men's team, ranked as high as #4 nationally, continued its reign with its 16th consecutive championship.

Below are more MIT teams that will be competing in the NEWMAC championships this weekend:

Women's Soccer
Record: 13-2
NEWMAC Semifinals Saturday

Men's Soccer
Record: 13-3
NEWMAC Semifinals Saturday

Women's Volleyball
Record: 22-10
NEWMAC Semifinals Saturday

Field Hockey
Record: 14-4
NEWMAC Semifinals Saturday

Monday, November 4, 2013

MIT Voted Best College in America by Business Insider



Business Insider's annual list of the Best Colleges in America was released this morning, with MIT earning the top spot for the 4th year in a row.

Business Insider surveyed 1,000 professionals to determine the rankings, "based on how much those schools help graduates succeed in life." As for the top spot, according to the publication, "the answer was loud and clear: MIT."

"When it comes to hiring, you can be assured that all students who graduate from MIT have been through a rigorous college curriculum" wrote one of the voters.



MIT was also ranked first by finance professionals: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-colleges-for-finance-industry-2013-10

Business Insider also noted that MIT has "one of the coolest college campuses in the country": http://www.businessinsider.com/these-two-buildings-show-why-mit-is-one-of-the-coolest-college-campuses-in-the-country-2013-11

Read more about the rankings here: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-colleges-in-america-2013-10