WPI Upended by Nationally-Ranked MIT in NEWMAC Opener

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WORCESTER – Junior Cameron Korb (Los Gatos, CA) came off the bench to lead nationally-ranked MIT with 24 points as the visiting Engineers defeated WPI 94-58 on the opening night of NEWMAC action Wednesday in Harrington Auditorium.

Cambridge's Engineers, who are ranked No. 15 in the D3hoops.com Top 25, are now 11-1 overall and 1-0 in the NEWMAC as Worcester's Engineers slip back to .500 (6-6) on the year and 0-1 in league play.

The first half featured a pair of 11-point runs by the guests. The initial 11-1 run gave MIT a double-digit lead following a traditional three-point play by junior AJ Jurko (Weston, FL) with 12:37 left in the frame. Korb later capped an 11-0 outburst with three from the charity stripe as Cambridge's Engineers enjoyed a 20-plus point lead with less than five minutes to play. A late layup by WPI freshman Garrett Stephenson (Townsend, MA) cut the advantage to 18 just before the intermission. Jurko, who scored all his points in the first half, and WPI freshman Reid Walker (Lithia, FL) finished the first 20 minutes with 10 points apiece.

Korb pushed the lead into the 30s for the first time with a triple at 14:29. Freshman Hamilton Forsythe (Weston, CT) drained a long-range dagger with 99 seconds remaining to put the advantage above 40. WPI got as close as 28 with 13:46 to play.

Junior Tim Roberts (Oak Bluffs, MA) led the MIT starters with 17 points and seven rebounds to go with 14 points from classmate Bradley Jomard (Paris, France), who also handed out six assists.

Walker ended the game with a team-best 11 points and seven boards. Freshmen Avelino Damoura (Dorchester, MA) and Dakota Wheeler (Easthampton, MA) combined for 15 points and sophomore Andreas Bitsos (Athens, Greece) hauled in six defensive rebounds for the reserves.

MIT, who shot 56.1 percent from the field and 56.5 from downtown, accounted for 25 points off turnovers and 35 in the paint while WPI held slim margins in second chance points (11-9) and fast break points (6-3).

The Crimson and Gray host defending national champion Babson Saturday at 2pm. MIT hosts Coast Guard, also at 2pm Saturday.