THE BASICS:

- Score: MIT 66, No. 8/9 Tufts University 63

- Records: MIT (3-2); No. 8/9 Tufts (5-2)

- Location: Medford, Mass. (Tye Court)

- The Lead: A 6-for-6 performance by junior Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) at the free throw line during the final 45 seconds of regulation helped the MIT women's basketball team capture a 66-63 victory over No. 8/9 Tufts University on Wednesday night. Choi paced the Engineers with a career-high 25 points as she drained all 10 of her attempts at the charity stripe and grabbed three steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Tufts gradually established a 12-2 lead with 3:55 left in the opening frame. Sparked by a three-pointer by Choi, MIT put together a 12-5 run to close out the quarter.

- The Jumbos scored 32 seconds into the second stanza, but a defensive battle ensued until sophomore Brianna Lebrun (Hartford, Conn.) sank two free throws at the 5:57 mark. A minute later, junior Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) drained a layup and then graduate student Christina Antonakakis (Holmdel, N.J.) knocked down a trey to give the Engineers a 21-19 edge with 4:28 on the clock. Tufts quickly converted a three-point play to go back in front and following three minutes of scoreless action, a jumper increased the hosts' lead to 24-21. However, a three-point play by Choi tied the game with 40 seconds remaining before halftime.

- The third quarter was closely played as there were three ties and two lead changes. Inside the final 50 seconds, two free throws by Choi tied the score at 42 and then a jumper by Lebrun put MIT ahead.

- The Engineers carried the momentum into the fourth quarter as their lead grew to 50-42 after a jumper by Antonakakis at the 8:25 mark. MIT maintained a small cushion until the Jumbos drained a three-pointer, giving them a 61-60 edge with 1:20 left to play. Choi put the Engineers ahead for good with two free throws with 45 seconds on the clock and then increased their margin to 64-61 with two more free throws 19 seconds later.

- Tufts responded with a layup with 18 seconds remaining and after an MIT timeout, it stole the inbounds pass but missed a layup. Choi corralled the rebound and was fouled with 8.4 seconds to go. She drained both free throws, which moved the score to 66-63. The Jumbos tried to tie the game, but their three-point attempt fell short at the buzzer.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Antonakakis tallied 17 points, five rebounds, and four steals while Nwogu generated 12 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.

- This was MIT's first victory over Tufts since 2000-01 and the third in the 13 meetings between both programs.

- Tufts is ranked No. 8 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll and No. 9 in the WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll

UP NEXT:

- MIT hosts Brandeis University on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 3:00 p.m.

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