FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Junior Ryan Frankel (New York, N.Y.) sank three free throws over the final eight seconds to help No. 11 MIT hold off Framingham State, 64-61, in a non-conference men's basketball game this afternoon. Junior Justin Pedley (Kennewick, Wash.) poured in 26 points for the Engineers, who improved to 6-1. The Rams received a career-high 24 points from junior Joe McCabe (Canton, Mass.), but fell to 3-5 with the loss.

McCabe, who hit five of 11 three-point attempts in the contest, hit three long-range shots in the opening four minutes of the game to lead Framingham State to a 9-5 advantage. Sophomore Tim Butala (Monroe, Conn.) answered McCabe's third shot with a trey of his own to make it a one-point game before Frankel hit a pair of free throws to give MIT its first lead of the day, 10-9, at the 13:23 mark.

From there the two teams remained close, with a three-point shot by the Ram sophomore Daniel Gould (Quincy, Mass.) knotting things up for the third time in the contest at 17-all with 8:40 left in the half. Frankel then hit on back-to-back jumpers for MIT, with the Engineers stretching their lead to six at 26-20 after Pedley converted on a three-point play with five minutes left on the clock. MIT had its advantage up to eight, but Framingham State closed to within four at 28-24 on a jumper from freshman Tony Alexandre (Hyde Park, Mass.) in the final minute.  A pair of Pedley free throws took MIT back to a six-point halftime lead at 30-24.

MIT pushed its lead out to nine points four minutes into the second half when junior Lampros Tsontzos (Amarousion, Greece) hit a shot that made it 37-28. The Engineers could not add to their advantage and when Daniel Gould hit a trey and Alexandre followed with a jumper, the Rams were back within three at 40-37.

Threes from Butala and Pedley helped MIT push back out to a 46-39 lead with 11:30 to go, but McCabe scored five straight, with his three at 9:31 making it a one-point game at 48-47. MIT still led by just a point at 50-49 when Frankel and Pedley each hit a pair of shots in an 8-0 surge that, combined with two missed three-point shots and three turnovers by the Rams, pushed the Engineers back to a nine-point bulge at 58-49 with 2:44 to play.

With 1:28 left, a three by junior Tim McCarthy (Wilmington, Mass.) had Framingham State back within five at 60-55. McCabe then came up with a steal on the other end and finished the play with a layup, bringing the Rams within three with a minute to go. Senior Patrick Cuff (Medway, Mass.) hit a layup for Framingham State and was fouled with 14 seconds left, but his free throw was off the mark and left the Rams trailing 61-59. Frankel then converted on his free throws in the final seconds, enabling MIT to come away with the win.

Pedley hit on 3-of-6 long-range shots on his way to his season-high 26-point effort. Frankel finished with 13 points and dished out six assists for the Engineers, who also picked up 10 points and nine rebounds from Tsontzos. In addition to McCabe, Framingham State had two other players in double figures in scoring, with McCarthy finishing with 12 and sophomore Patrick Gould (Quincy, Mass.) adding 11. Cuff led the Rams with nine rebounds.

MIT will be back on the court on Tuesday, December 9 when the Engineers will host Emmanuel College at 7:00 p.m. Framingham State returns to action on Thursday, December 11 when the Rams will travel to Daniel Webster College for a 7:00 p.m. matchup.