MIT Edges Men's Basketball, 71-68, in Close NEWMAC Affair
Box Score/Play-by-PlaySPRINGFIELD, Mass., February 7, 2007 – Springfield College freshman guard Ryan Blackmon (Stamford, Conn.) came off the bench to score a team-high 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 shooting from three-point territory, but it wasn’t enough as the MIT Engineers edged the Pride, 71-68, in a close New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tilt.
SC falls to 10-12 overall on the season and 5-4 in NEWMAC action, as MIT improves to 12-10 overall on its campaign and 5-5 in conference games. Despite the loss, the Pride still remains in third place in the league, and the Engineers currently occupy the fourth position, now nipping on SC’s heels.
MIT sophomore guard Jimmy Bartolotta, who entered tonight’s game as the second-leading scorer in the conference, fell just one rebound and two assists shy of a triple-double. Bartolotta scored a game-best 25 points on perfect shooting from the free throw line (15-15) to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists.
Not far behind Bartolotta in scoring for the Engineers was freshman forward Erich Bracht with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor. Bracht was just one board shy of a double-double with nine caroms. Pride junior guard Jamaal Gibbs (Norwalk, Conn.) and freshman forward Pat Crean (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.) helped pace SC with 16 and 13 points, respectively, as Crean added a team-high six rebounds.
After MIT opened the contest on a 17-4 run, the Pride responded with a 22-12 run throughout the final 11:18 of the opening half to trail by just three points at the break (29-26). The second half was neck-and-neck the entire way, as neither team led by more than seven points at any time. The game as a whole saw seven ties, five of which came in the second half, and 15 lead changes, 12 of which came in the final 20 minutes.
After dropping three of its past five games, SC looks to regain some momentum in the NEWMAC when it travels to Wheaton College on Saturday afternoon, February 10th, for a 1:00 p.m. start.
Men's Basketball Team Links
- Schedule
- Roster
- 2007-2008 Statistics
- 2007-2008 JV Schedule (.pdf)
- Photo Gallery
- Recruit Me!
- Live Stats
- D3hoops.com!
- Team Archive
Head Coach Charlie Brock
Charlie Brock in 2008-09 will enter his 11th season as the head coach at Springfield College. Brock’s achievements as a coach are certainly impressive, as he has taken three schools to the NCAA Division III Tournament and has an overall, 28-year record of 379-350 for a winning percentage of .519. Read more.