CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The MIT women's basketball team was defeated by the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), 58-40, in the opening round of the Golden Bear Hoop Classic hosted by Western New England College on Friday night. The Engineers (0-2) will square off with Wilkes University at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday in the Third-Place game.
 
Tamara Pena paced Tech's balanced attack with eight points while Marissa Good posted seven points and five rebounds. Lauren Sascha Burton tallied six points, five boards, and four assists as Anna Merrifield contributed four points, four rebounds, and a steal. Rebecca Odim, Margo Batie, and Kathryn Harris each grabbed two steals while Odim added six points. MIT registered a 16-5 advantage in points off turnovers, capitalizing on 21 miscues by the Trailblazers while only committing eight.

The opening frame was a back-and-forth affair as it featured six ties and seven lead changes. A three-pointer by Sydney Beasley put MIT ahead, 17-16, but a pair of free throws from MCLA gave the Trailblazers the edge at the 7:01 mark. A basket by Good ended four minutes of scoreless play, however, MCLA rattled off six straights points for a 24-19 advantage at the intermission.

The Engineers stayed within striking distance during the early stages of the second stanza as jumper from Good narrowed their gap to four (33-29) with 12:16 on the clock. MCLA responded with a 17-1 run during the next seven minutes to break open the game and capture its largest lead of the night.