Sports basketball

MIT basketball basks in glow of weekend win, looks to finish season on strong note

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MIT guard Liana Ilutzi '17 drives the ball into the paint for the Engineers during Saturday's game against Mount Holyoke College.

This past Saturday, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams competed at home in Rockwell for one of the final times of the regular season. It would be an understatement to say it was merely a good day for the Engineers.

The women’s team took the court first in a game against Mount Holyoke College, and it didn’t take long for them to take command of the game and turn it into a rout. By the halfway point, the Engineers were up by 21 and would finish the game with an impressive 38 point margin of victory. MIT limited Holyoke to just 20% shooting and forced them into 20 turnovers - a stifling defensive performance that helped them build such a strong lead.

The men’s team started their game against Wheaton College just a few minutes later. Hot shooting by the Lyons kept them in the game, but with activeness and poise, the Engineers stayed in front the entire time, developing a large advantage in the closing moments to put the game out of reach. En route to their eight point win, they would force Wheaton into 19 turnovers and out-rebound them by a margin of six.

This weekend was just an exclamation point on what has been superb season for both teams. The women’s team, following the game, stands at 19-4, tied with Babson College for the best record in the NEWMAC conference. Kara Holinski ’19 has lead the team in scoring. She is averaging 14.6 points per game and was recently named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Taylor V’Dovec ’19 has also had a great season, averaging 14.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for the Engineers.

Following their victory against Wheaton, the men’s team now has a record of 18-5, ranking second in the NEWMAC conference. Tim Butala ’17 and Dakota Pierce ’19 were also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team for their performances this season. Butala has averaged 13.9 points and 5.6 rebounds while Pierce has averaged 11.2 points and 4.0 rebounds. Bradley Jomard ’19 has led the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game.

With the postseason rapidly approaching, both teams look to finish their seasons on a strong note as they each play their final games on Saturday. The women’s team will play at WPI and the men’s team will play at Babson.