No. 4 Seed MIT Advances to NEWMAC Semis With 76-58 Win Over No. 5 Emerson

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THE BASICS:

- Score: No. 4 MIT 76, No. 5 Emerson College 58

- Records: MIT (19-7, 12-4 NEWMAC), Emerson College (17-9, 11-5 NEWMAC)

- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)

- The Lead: Led by four players in double figures and 23 forced turnovers, the No. 4 seeded MIT women's basketball team defeated No. 5 Emerson College by a 76-58 final on Tuesday night in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- The Engineers led from the outset on a three by senior Kristen Ngan (Sudbury, Mass.) on the first possession, eventually building to a 9-0 margin just 2:33 in. MIT pushed the lead to double figures at 16-6 at the first media timeout and continued to lead by 10 at 19-9 after a three-pointer from senior Dolly Yuan (San Jose, Calif.).

- Emerson cut into the margin behind a three from the top of the key by Ashley Toner and made it a 19-14 game. A quick 4-0 run to end the half though, capped by a deep jumper in the final seconds from first-year Christina Antonakakis (Holmdel, N.J.), gave MIT a 23-14 lead after one period.

- The Lions trimmed the lead all the way down to three behind an 8-2 spurt to start the second before the Engineers answered with a run of their own for the 31-23 advantage with 3:37 on the clock. Antonakakis drilled a deep three to cap off the first half and send the Engineers into the break up 37-29 as MIT shot 42.4 percent from the field and forced nine Emerson turnovers.

- Senior Taylor V'Dovec (Blaine, Wash.) led MIT with 10 points in the half, while Quinn Madden had eight points for the Lions.

- The Engineers led by as many as 12 in the third quarter and still lead by seven at 49-42 with two minutes remaining in the period. A three from Natalie Clydesdale and a layup from Charlie Boyle put the Lions on a 5-0 run and the game headed to the final 10 minutes at 49-47.

- Madden and the Lions got to within one with a three-point play that made the score 53-52 at the 7:12 mark. The MIT offense heated up and the Engineers clamped down defensively though, embarking on a 16-4 run over the next 4:16 and seized control at 69-56. The hosts hit five free throws and forced four Emerson turnovers over the final two minutes to clinch the win and send the Engineers into the semifinals.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- V'Dovec led all scorers with 19 points, while senior Kara Holinski (Livonia, Mich.) and sophomore Kylie Gallagher (Upton, Mass.) each added 15 points. Gallagher also finished with six rebounds, four blocks and four steals and Antonakakis added 12 points off the bench.

- Natalie Busch paced the Lions with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Madden nearly finished with a double-double at 11 points and nine rebounds. Toner also finished in double figures with 11 points in 31 minutes off the bench.

- MIT finished with 19 assists on 28 made field goals, seven blocks and nine steals. In addition, the Engineers turned 23 Emerson turnovers into 34 points on the other end. The Lions held a commanding 46-28 rebounding advantage, including 20-9 on the offensive glass.

UP NEXT:

- MIT returns to action on Thursday, February 21st as the Engineers travel to top-seeded Babson College for the NEWMAC semifinals beginning at 7 p.m.

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