Blue Basketball Drops 53-31 Decision at MIT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Host MIT shot 43 percent from the field and 6-of-12 from beyond the arc to defeat Wellesley College basketball, 53-31, on Wednesday evening at Rockwell Cage.  

The Engineers improve to 11-13 overall and 7-8 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play. The Blue slip to 7-16 and 4-11 in NEWMAC contest.

MIT senior Osheiza Otori (Metairie, La.) scored a game-high 14 points while also adding four assists. Senior Mari Kordell (Ijamsville, Md.) and junior Sabrina Drammis (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) also finished in double-figures for the Engineers. Kordell chipped in with 12 points, five assists and two steals, while Dramms had 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. 

Senior Morgyne Weaver (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and first year Kayla Jang (South Pasadena, Calif.) both had a team-high seven points for the Blue. Weaver also added nine rebounds, while Jang had three assists and a pair of boards. Junior Chelsi Scott (Portland, Mich.) added seven rebounds and six points for Wellesley.

Trailing 14-6 with 11:10 remaining in the opening half of play, seniors Meghan Sargent (Bedford, N.H.) and Natalie Anderson (Bellevue, Wash.) scored back-to-back buckets to pull Wellesley to within four points with 5:44 left. However, a three-pointer from Liana Ilutzi (East Hanover, N.J.) at 4:08 spurred a 7-2 MIT run that helped the Engineers take a 21-12 advantage with 2:37 remaining.  

Weaver would knock down a layup and a pair of free throws, before Kordell added a jumper in the closing seconds of the half, as MIT entered the break with a 23-16 lead.

After the break, MIT outscored the Blue 30-15. Otori knocked down 3-of-4 three-pointers, scoring 11 of her 14 points after halftime. The Engineers led by double-digits for most of the opening ten minutes of the half until Anderson cut the deficit to eight with an 'and-one' play at 9:56. 

With the Blue within single digits for the first time since the opening minutes of the second, MIT responded with an 18-3 run to close out the game. The Engineers held the Blue to just one field goal over the final 9:56 of play to take the 53-31 victory.  

Wellesley will close out the NEWMAC regular season on Saturday afternoon when they host Smith at 2:00 PM. MIT will travel to take on Coast Guard in its NEWMAC finale on Saturday at 1:00 PM.