THE BASICS:
- Score: MIT 76, No. 9/15 Springfield College 72
- Records: MIT (7-7, 3-1 NEWMAC); Springfield (16-1, 2-1 NEWMAC)
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
- The Lead: Two free throws by senior Paula Pieper (Greenville, S.C.) thwarted a late rally by No. 9/15 Springfield College as MIT captured a 76-72 victory in NEWMAC women's basketball action on Wednesday night. Senior Christina Antonakakis (Holmdel, N.J.) scored 44 points, breaking the program record for points in a game, which she previously set with 40 at Westfield State University on November 16, 2021. Her scoring performance is an MIT basketball record as she eclipsed the men's basketball mark of 43 points established by Jimmy Bartolotta '09 in 2008, resulting in a new facility record for Rockwell Cage. In addition, Antonakakis set a program record for three-pointers in a game with nine. Sam Hourihan paced the Pride with 22 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- MIT inched out to a 16-11 lead but Springfield generated a 6-2 spurt during the last three minutes of the opening quarter to come within one (18-17) following a free throw by Angela Czeremcha.
- The Engineers controlled the action in the second stanza as they outscored the Pride, 15-5, entering halftime with a 33-22 advantage.
- Following a back-and-forth start, the third quarter featured a series of runs. Springfield rattled off seven unanswered points, cutting its deficit to 43-36 after a pair of free throws by Rachel Vinton at the 5:51 mark. MIT replied with a 13-0 burst as a three-pointer by first-year Sarah Berman (York, Pa.) resulted in the Engineers' largest lead of the night (56-38) with 3:20 on the clock. The Pride countered with a 10-2 run down the stretch, capitalizing on two free throws by Hourihan with less than a second remaining.
- Springfield carried the momentum into the final frame as a trey by Jaélen Daubon narrowed the gap to 61-55 after two minutes elapsed. After an exchange of possessions, a three-pointer by Antonakakis kicked off an 11-6 run which was capped by a jumper from Pieper with 3:15 left to play.
- The score remained unchanged until a put-back by Hourihan a minute later, which was followed by three-pointers from Stephanie Lyons and Hourihan, narrowing the gap to 72-69 with 56 seconds on the clock. Senior Annika Sougstad (Mahtomedi, Minn.) and Antonakakis both drained a free throw during the next 20 seconds. However, Hourihan knocked down a trey which brought the visitors within 74-72 with 24 seconds to go. Pieper gave MIT some breathing room by sinking both of her free throws with 13 seconds left and senior Kylie Gallagher (Upton, Mass.) corralled the rebound of Lyons's three-point attempt moments before the final buzzer sounded.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Gallagher totaled 12 points and 10 rebounds while Sougstad registered nine points, nine rebounds, and three steals. Pieper rounded out MIT with a game-high nine assists.
- Vinton tallied 18 points, four assists, and four steals as Czeremcha finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
- Both teams posted 37 rebounds but Springfield ended the night with advantages in points in the paint (26-16), points off turnovers (18-11), second-chance points (15-9), and bench scoring (18-3).
- The Engineers shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the floor, 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from three-point range, and 65.0 percent (13-of-26) from the free throw line.
- The Pride shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the floor, 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from behind the arc, and 57.1 percent (12-of-21) at the charity stripe.
- Springfield is currently ranked No. 9 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll and No. 15 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
UP NEXT:
- Both teams are back in NEWMAC action on Saturday, Jan. 29. MIT will host Wellesley College at 2:00 p.m. while Springfield will travel to Babson College for a 1:00 p.m. start.
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