CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Four different players finished in double-figures, led by junior Mitchell Kates (Colts Neck, N.J.) with 22 points, as tenth-ranked MIT defeated visiting Suffolk Universtiy, 81-59, in non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon in Rockwell Cage. Junior Will Tashman (Atherton, Calif.) had his third straight double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds to help the Engineers improve to a perfect 5-0 to start the season.
Junior Chris Torres (Brockton, Mass.) led all players with 23 points for the Rams (2-3) on 11-of-16 shooting. Junior Matt Pepdjonovic (Quicy, Mass.) was also in double-figures with 14 points while Jevic Muteba (Revere, Mass.) had a team-high seven boards.
The Cardinal and Gray jumped out to an early nine-point lead with less than five minutes gone by, as a Tashman put-back made it 13-4 Tech. Suffolk would battle back, thanks in large part to Torres, who canned a three-pointer to bring the Rams back within one at 20-19 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half.
But the Engineers would score six straight points over the next 2:16 to extend the advantage to seven. A late trifecta by senior Jamie Karraker (Morgantown, W. Va.) and a layup from freshman Dennis Levene (Weston, Conn.) would put the hosts on top by 11 at the intermission.
After trading baskets to start the second half, Tashman had a key stretch where he converted a traditional three-point play and found Karraker for a layup to give Tech its largest lead of the afternoon at 58-40. The Engineers led by as many as 24 during the second half en route to the 22-point win.
Kates was extremely efficient, making seven-of-nine shots from the field and was a perfect eight-for-eight from the line. Karraker had 16 points to go along with six assists.
The Engineers took advantage of 22 Suffolk turnovers, converting their opponent's miscues into 23 points. MIT also enjoyed a 34-28 edge on the glass, scoring 20 second-chance points.
MIT will hit the road for its next two games, starting with a trip to Emerson College on Tuesday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m. Suffolk will travel to Daniel Webster College on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. tip as well.