CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Fourth-ranked MIT shot over 54% from the field and connected on 11 three-pointers to hand visiting Wheaton College an 87-54 defeat in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball action Saturday afternoon. The win is the second straight for the Engineers to open league play as they improve to 14-0 on the 2011-12 campaign. Wheaton, which was playing its conference opener, falls to an even 6-6 on the year.

Senior Jamie Karraker (Morgantown, W. Va.) knocked down eight trifectas en route to a game-high 24 points. Junior Mitchell Kates (Colts Neck, N.J.) had 15 points to go along with three assists, three rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Will Dickson (Dallas, Texas) stuffed the stat sheet with six points, four boards and four assists in just 12 minutes of action.

The teams traded buckets early on, with Cliff Desravines (Somerville, Mass.) knotting things at eight at the 16:05 mark. From there, the hosts would run off seven straight points over the next 3:35 to open up a 15-8 advantage.

Later in the frame, the Cardinal and Gray would outscore the Lyons, 16-2, to build its biggest lead of the half, 36-15. Karraker had three three-pointers during the stretch and senior Billy Bender (The Woodlands, Texas) put an exclamation point on the run with a three-ball of his own.

A layup by Eddie Capstick (Worcester, Mass.) to open up the second half would bring Wheaton to within 18, at 42-24, but that would be the last time Tech's advantage would fall below 20 points the rest of the way, en route to the 33 point win.

MIT shot 54.4% from the field (31-57) and was 11-for-23 from long distance. The defense was equally as impressive, forcing 20 Wheaton turnovers and holding the Lyons to just 38.5% shooting.

Anthony Weeks (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Brendan Degnan (Narragansett, R.I.) shared high-scoring honors for Wheaton with eight points apiece. Degnan also pitched in four assists and three rebounds.

The Engineers will hit the road for the first time in 2012 on Wednesday, January 11 traveling to New London, Conn. to face Coast Guard Academy at 7:00 p.m. Wheaton will play at Clark University on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.