WORCESTER -- Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA), John Adams (Douglas, MA) and Donovan Sevilla (San Ramon, CA) all reached double figures in scoring to help WPI notch a season-high 88 points as the hosts defeated visiting MIT 88-61 in a NEWMAC men's basketball contest played Tuesday evening inside Harrington Auditorium.
WPI, who is receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, ups its record to 13-3 on the season and 6-1 in conference play, while MIT falls to 2-15 overall and 1-7 in NEWMAC action.
WPI rattled off the game's first six points with a pair of J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) free throws, and layups by Adams and Callahan. A Callahan steal culminating in a Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) putback layup gave the hosts their biggest lead of the half at 26-12 just past the midway part of the stanza. MIT clawed its back into the game with a quick 7-0 spurt with a layup by, Isaac Dobie (Kitty Hawk, NC) a Tim Minicozzi (Belmont, MA) trifecta and two free throws from Michael Ewing (Mendham, NJ). The rest of the half was played in a seven-point window with Crimson and Gray taking a 40-30 edge into the locker room.
The hosts began the game connecting on 11-of-20 shots from the field over the first 10:10 but could only trail 4-of-20 the rest of the frame. MIT, which turned the ball over eight times during WPI's 26-12 game-opening run, only has three miscues over the final 9:50 of the half.
The two teams traded 3-pointers to begin the second half, with WPI's Andrew Lufkin (Auburn, NH) and MIT's Michael Zhang (Jacksonville, FL) both hitting from deep. WPI slowly extended its lead, before an Adams slam ignited the crowd and sparked a 17-4 run for the Crimson and Gray. During their 4 1/2 minute spurt, WPI shot 5-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc and tacking on four points from the charity stripe. The homestanding Engineers kept the pressure on, pushing the lead to 30 points with just under four minutes left.
Callahan led WPI in scoring with 16 points to go along with six assists and three steals. Adams recorded the 30th double-double of his career and seventh of the season, with 13 points and 13 rebounds, to go along with two blocks and pair steals. Sevilla tallied eight of his 10 points after the break while Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, TX) drilled a trio of 3-pointers on his way to nine points and Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) finished with eight.
Ewing had a big second half for MIT, netting 14 of his team-high 19 points after intermission. The rookie was 6-of-12 from the field in just 22 minutes of action. Spencer Lin (Menlo Park, CA) was a rebound short of a double-double, registering 12 points and nine boards while Minicozzi tossed in 11 points, including a 6-of-6 performance from the free throw line.
WPI found their stroke from behind the arc in the second half, shooting 8-19 to open up their lead. WPI's defensive pressure led to a season-high 17 steals on the night, converting 22 points off turnovers. The hosts held a 46-32 edge on the glass, including a 18-3 bulge in offensive rebounds and outscored MIT's Engineers and 17-2 on second chance points and 44-22 in the paint.
WPI plays the middle contest of a three-game NEWMAC homestand this week on Thursday, squaring off with Wheaton inside Harrington Auditorium at 7pm. MIT begins the second half of conference play on Saturday with a trip to Springfield to take on the Pride at 1pm.