THE BASICS:

- Score: No. 8 MIT 84, Wheaton College 69

- Records: No. 8 MIT (13-2, 3-1 NEWMAC), Wheaton College (10-4, 1-3 NEWMAC)

- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)

- The Lead: Led by a career-high 26 points from freshman Alex Cho (San Diego, Calif.), the No. 8 ranked MIT men's basketball team pulled away late for an 84-69 home win over Wheaton College on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Led by a pair of three-pointers from senior Dakota Pierce (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), the Engineers jumped out to a quick 8-0 edge and continued to lead by six at 27-21 with 4:57 remaining in the half. The Lyons countered with a 9-2 run, capped by a three from Riley Tetreault, to jump in front at 30-29 with just 2:16 on the clock.

- Another Tetreault three gave the visitors a 35-33 edge with 1:04 left in the period, but that was the final Wheaton lead of the first half as Cho knocked down a pair of three-pointers to send the game into the break at 39-35.

- Over the first 10 minutes of the second, the game went back and forth as the Lyons led 53-52 following a jumper by David Carbonello. A layup by MIT senior Tim Roberts (Oak Bluffs, Mass.) put the Engineers in front to stay at 54-53 as the hosts embarked on a 24-5 run and led 76-58 with 2:32 remaining. Wheaton pulled within 13 in the final minute before the Engineers improved to 28-21 overall in the all-time series with the Lyons that dates back to the 1967-68 season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Cho finished the game with 26 points on 8-for-14 shooting from three-point land, while senior Bradley Jomard (Paris, France) tallied a career-high 13 assists. Pierce and sophomore Ian Hinkley (Raleigh, N.C.) also finished in double figures with 11 points each. 

- With a rebound on the final shot of the contest, Roberts finished with his ninth straight and 11th overall double-double as he posted 12 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 6-for-9 from the field.

- Carbonello paced the Lyons with 23 points and five rebounds, while Duaka Ekwensi added 16 points and a team-best seven rebounds. 

- Overall, MIT turned Wheaton over 22 times and turned those turnovers in 15 points. The Engineers also held a slight 30-27 rebounding advantage and registered 23 assists on 30 made field goals.

- The Engineers are ranked No. 8 in the most recent D3Hoops.com National Poll, down one spot from the previous rankings after posting a 2-0 record last week.

UP NEXT:  

- MIT continues its three-game homestand on Wednesday, January 16th as the Engineers host Springfield College for a 6 p.m. start.

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