For Immediate Release
February 16, 2008
Wellesley Sports Information
Wellesley Falls to MIT, 54-48
Box Score
WELLESLEY, MA - In a must-win game for both teams, Jessica Duff's (Milton, Abingdon, UK) career-high 27 points was not enough to overcome a balanced MIT attack, as the Blue fell to the Engineers 54-48 this afternoon at Keohane Sports Center. The win lifts MIT to 12-11 overall, 4-7 in NEWMAC competition. Wellesley drops to 6-15, 3-8 in conference play.
Both teams started cold, with MIT breaking the ice at the 17:06 mark, when Samia Mahjub (Barrington, IL) sank two freethrows. The Engineers built a 9-0 lead before a Duff layup finally put Wellesley on the board with 13:32 remaining in the half. The Blue began to narrow the gap, trimming the margin to 12-6, but MIT went on a 10-6 run, including two three-pointers from Alice Yeh (Bellevue, WA), to take a 22-12 lead with 7:00 minutes remaining.
Wellesley battled back with aggressive offensive rebounding from Duff and Julia Thomas (Concord, CA), giving the Blue eight second-chance points in the final minutes of the period. A 13-5 Wellesley run trimmed the lead to 29-25 at the break.
The teams traded buckets in the opening minutes of the second half before the Blue went on a 7-0 tear, using a fast transition offense to grab their first lead of the game at 34-33 with 15:25 remaining. Wellesley threatened to break away, edging to a 39-35 lead on a three-point play from Duff. But MIT tied the score at 39-39 with a jumper from Sally Simpson (Minneapolis, MN) and a layup from Mahjub.
Wellesley inched ahead again, taking a 43-39 advantage with 9:31 left. But the Engineers rallied, retaking the lead at 45-44 at the 4:56 mark with a key putback from Mahjub. Mahjub gave MIT a 48-44 edge a minute later, when she drained three consecutive freethrows. Wellesley answered with Courtney Richter (Sinking Springs, MD), as she sank a short jumper, trimming the lead by two.
A clutch 12-footer from Clara Yuan (San Jose, CA) stretched the Engineer lead back to four, at 50-46, forcing the Blue to foul in the closing minute of the game. MIT stayed perfect at the line, as Simpson and Kimberly Soo Hoo (Benicia, CA) went four-for-four in the closing seconds to give MIT a 54-48 win.
Four Engineers finished in double figures, with Mahjub leading the way with 13 while snagging seven rebounds. Simpson, Yuan, and Yeh chipped in 11 points each. MIT was perfect from the foul line, shooting 11-11, with Mahjub again leading the way at 5-5.
For the Blue, Duff tallied 27 points on the afternoon while grabbing 14 rebounds. Katie Frett (Hallowell, ME) added seven points, while Thomas chipped in six points and eight rebounds.
The Blue return to action on Wednesday, Feburary 20, when they travel to Clark for a 7:00 p.m. NEWMAC contest. MIT takes the court on Wednesday as well, when they travel to Wheaton for a 5:30 game.