CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – MIT's starting five all played over 35 minutes and accounted for all 78 of the team's points during a 78-66 win over visiting Salem State University in non-conference men's basketball action Thursday night. Jamie Karraker (Morgantown, W. Va.) led the squad in scoring, as the senior sharpshooter was red-hot from long range for the second time in three nights, to help the No. 7 Engineers improve to 10-0 on the season. The loss is the second straight for the Vikings, who fall to 6-3 overall.

Karraker was seven-for-16 from behind the arc en route to a game-high 28 points; this coming after a performance Tuesday night in which he connected on nine trifectas, setting a new program record. Senior Noel Hollingsworth (Salt Lake City, Utah) finished with 20 points to go along with six rebounds and five blocks. Junior Will Tashman (Atherton, Calif.) recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards while Mitchell Kates (Colts Neck, N.J.) had a team-high eight assists.  

Nate Simpson (Lowell, Mass.) led the way for Salem State with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Brothers Brian Clark (Deerfield, Mass.) and Dan Clark (Deerfield, Mass.) were also in double figures with 16 and 10, respectively.

Tech scored the game's first seven points, thanks to a three-ball from Karraker and back-to-back layups by Kates, before Ryan Salvador (Lynn, Mass.) put the Vikings on the board just under two minutes into the contest. Another 9-0 run pushed the Cardinal and Gray advantage to 18-5, forcing a Salem State timeout less than five minutes in.

The Vikings would close the gap midway through the frame with a three-pointer by Apollos Wade (Taunton, Mass.) and a jumper from Justin Nieves (Lawrence, Mass.) but the Engineers would run off 10 straight points to extend the lead to 38-21 with 5:30 to play in the half. Kates found Hollingsworth for a layup in the closing seconds to send Tech into the break ahead 48-33.

MIT came storming out of the locker room, outscoring the Vikings, 13-3, over the first 4:34 of the second. Kates scored on a pair of layups and assisted on two other buckets during the spurt. Salem State would not go quietly, however, outscoring the hosts, 10-0, at one point to cut the gap to 13 with under six minutes to go. But that would be as close as the Vikings would get, as MIT held on for the 12-point win.

The Cardinal and Gray controlled the glass, outrebounding its opponent, 43-29. Tech also scored 46 of its points in the paint while shooting 51.6% (33-64).

At 10-0, MIT is just one win shy of matching the best start in program history, set back in 2009-10. The Engineers will look to match that mark on Saturday, December 10 when they face Tufts University. Tech will travel to Tufts for a 2:00 p.m. start. Salem State will be off for the next three weeks, returning to action on December 28 when it hosts Colby College as part of the Salem State Holiday Classic.