CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Four different players scored in double-figures and MIT shot better than 50% from the field for the third time in five games during a 70-56 win over Emerson College in non-conference men's basketball action on Tuesday night. Will Tashman's game-high 20 points and nine rebounds helped the Cardinal and Gray, ranked No. 20 in this week's D3Hoops Top 25, improve to 4-1 on the season. The loss is the first for Emerson in three tries against New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opponents, as the Lions are now 3-2 overall.
The teams traded baskets early on, with Emerson taking a 9-8 lead on a Dan Bisaccio three-pointer with 12 minutes remaining in the half. From there MIT ran off six straight points on consecutive layups by Bill Bender, Tashman and Mitchell Kates, to go up five. The visitors got back within two after a pair of Nathan Firn foul shots but the Cardinal and Gray would respond with a 19-6 run to close out the period and take a 15-point advantage into the break. MIT connected on an impressive 65.2% of its shots during the opening stanza while holding Emerson to just 30.4% from the field.
Neither team would give way much during the first part of the second half, as Emerson used strong foul shooting to stay in the contest, making 16-of-20 from the charity stripe over the final 20 minutes. A Firn jumper closed the gap to 17 with 9:15 to go but Kates' three-pointer and a Tim Donegan put-back gave Tech its biggest lead of the night at 58-36. The Lions would not go quietly, getting as close as 13 in the final minutes but the Engineers canned eight-of-10 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Tashman hit eight-of-13 shots from the field en route to his second-straight 20-point output. Kates had 15 points and six assists while Will Dickson nearly recorded a double-double, with 11 points and eight caroms. Billy Bender stuffed the stat sheet for the Cardinal and Gray with eight points, seven boards and two assists.
Firn paced the Lions with 17 points, including nine from the foul line, and collected seven rebounds. Bisaccio also chipped in nine points for Emerson.
MIT was able to get a number of high-percentage looks, picking up 36 points in the paint while shooting 54.3% from the field and also holding a 37-19 edge on the glass.
The Engineers will return to Rockwell Cage on Thursday night, hosting Newbury College at 7:00 p.m. Emerson opens Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play at St. Joseph's College on Saturday, December 4 at 12:00 p.m.