Sports Shorts
Wrestlers Drop Pair of Decisions at Tri-Meet
Entering Wednesday night’s tri-meet as the top heavyweight in the New England College Conference Wrestling Association, Glenn J. Geesman ’09 continued his starlit prominence with a 4-1 victory over Daniel Dalle-Molle of American International College, though Tech’s top muscleman finally suffered his first defeat, 9-6, to Johnson and Wales University’s Sean DeDyn. Geesman improved to 10-1, though MIT (0-3) lost the team battles, 32-9 and 50-0, to American International and host Johnson and Wales, respectively, at the Harborside Recreation Center.
Travis C. Samuel ’08 and Joseph B. Silverman ’10 also picked up wins, as the Engineers cut into American International’s 32-0 lead late in the match. Samuel’s 10-7 decision over C.J. Chaika and Silverman’s 1-0 win against Morgan Wanzer made it 32-6, while Geesman’s victory accounted for Tech’s final three points.
The Cardinal and Gray ran into a roadblock against perennial power Johnson and Wales, the third-ranked team in New England in Division III. The Wildcats ran the table, though Silverman proved strong in a 5-4 loss before Geesman kept it close against DeDyn in the Pilgrim League match.
Overall, the Engineers suffered seven forfeits during the tri-meet.
In the evening’s final joust, the hosts pulled out a thrilling 23-22 victory over American International.
MIT will next compete in the Rochester Institute of Technology Tournament in Rochester, N.Y., on Dec. 1.
—Mike Stoller, DAPER Staff
Women’s Basketball Stumbles at Wentworth
In its first road game of the season, MIT women’s basketball fell to Wentworth Institute of Technology, 72-39, on Nov. 20. The loss lowered the Engineers’ ledger to 1-2 while the Leopards improved to 2-1 on the year.
MIT opened the game with a pair of free throws by Kimberly Soo Hoo ’08, but Wentworth countered with nine unanswered points. A three-pointer from Clara J. Yuang ’09 ended the spurt and narrowed the gap to four (9-5) at the 15:39 mark. The Engineers stayed within striking distance as a layup from Samia A. Mahjub G once again brought them within four (17-13) at the midway point of the half. Almost a minute later, a basket by Wentworth ignited a 24-6 run that spanned the next eight minutes. Mahjub registered the final basket of the period when she drained a three with five seconds left to make the score 41-22.
Wentworth started the second half with nine straight points before free throws by Mahjub ended a five-minute scoring drought for the Engineers. MIT continued to attack with a trio of three-pointers from Yuan, but it could not overcome the deficit.
Yuan paced the Engineers with 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting from behind the arc. Mahjub tallied 13 points, four rebounds, two steals, and one block in 26 minutes of action. Cheryl M. Kwinn ’09 grabbed a team-high seven rebounds while Alice S. Yeh ’09 bolstered MIT’s offense with eight points.
Men’s Basketball Drops Gordon, 66-44
After closing the first half on a 15-4 run, MIT men’s basketball followed up the impressive stretch by holding Gordon College to just four points in the first 12 minutes of the second half. The Engineers enjoyed one of their best team efforts of the season in a 66-44 victory over the previously unbeaten Fighting Scots. James M. “Jimmy” Bartolotta ’09 paced the victory with another performance that covered the stat sheet while Hamidou Soumare ’08 controlled the dynamics of the battle with a huge effort on the defensive end.
Entering Tuesday unscathed through its first three games, Gordon (3-1) was poised to serve as MIT’s stiffest test of the season. After trading baskets for the first 13 minutes, the game had the appearance of replicating last year’s tight contest, which was won by Gordon late.
Despite the even start, Soumare’s presence on defense shifted momentum firmly in favor of the Engineers as back-to-back blocks led to easy baskets in transition for the Cardinal and Gray. Ahead 24-23 with 6:01 on the clock, Bartolotta sandwiched a three between two long-range triples by Will D. Mroz ’08 over the next five minutes as MIT (4-1) moved in front by double figures. Bradley H. Gampel ’09 forced a steal with less than 30 seconds remaining in the opening frame, which led to a fast-break hoop for Alexander F. Bagley ’08. With another score and a rocking crowd backing the effort, the Engineers headed to the locker room ahead, 37-25.
Mroz maintained the hot touch to open the second half, taking a feed by Bartolotta and draining another three just 12 seconds into the frame. The field goal sparked a 22-6 run for the Engineers as MIT extended its advantage to 59-29 with 8:28 left in regulation. As MIT went deep into its bench soon after Gordon snapped the run, the offense dropped off but the defensive intensity remained as Tech’s hardwood unit ensured its fourth straight win of the season.