MIT Outlasts Men's Basketball 57-45

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (12/5/16) – The Lasell men's basketball team fell to a late rally by MIT, 57-45, in non-conference action on Monday evening inside Rockwell Cage.

Led by a 19-2 scoring run to close out the game, MIT ran its winning streak to four straight and advance to 5-2, while the Lasers dip to 4-3. The Engineers trailed 43-38 with 7:38 remaining before rallying for the victory.

The Lasers built to a 9-4 lead over the first five minutes, including a layup from senior Yordan Villalon (Miami, Fla.). MIT eventually took a 16-14 lead midway through the first period after a pair of free throws by senior Tim Butala (Monroe, Conn.) and held a 30-23 edge into the halftime break after a three from sophomore Dakota Pierce (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) with 2:17 remaining.

In the second half, Lasell came out of the locker room quickly with a 10-0 run over the first 6:35 of the period to seize a 33-30 advantage. After a three by Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.) capped that scoring spurt, Butala answered with a three for the hosts to tie the game again at 33-33. The game remained close until five straight points from Armin Omanovic (Wilkesboro, N.C.) put the Lasers ahead by their largest margin of the second period at 43-38. From that point, the Engineers defense clamped down and allowed just one Lasell field goal over the remainder of the game to come out with the victory.

The 45-point defensive effort was the lowest opponent point total of the season for the Engineers. MIT also turned the ball over a season-low 14 times while limiting the Lasers to 26.4 percent shooting from the field. The Engineers outrebounded Lasell 47-39, including a12-7 margin on the offensive glass.

Butala turned in a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double, while sophomore AJ Jurko (Weston, Fla.) posted 11 rebounds and a team-leading seven assists in 40 minutes of play. Pierce played all 40 minutes as well, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds, four steals and zero turnovers while shooting 8-for-16 from the field. Sophomore Cameron Korb (Los Gatos, Calif.) posted 11 points off the bench, while sophomore Samuel Bockman (Oceanside, Calif.) added nine rebounds.

Villalon was the top scorer for Lasell with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double as he also tied for the team lead in steals with fou

Both teams are back in quick action tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. The Lasers will visit St. Joseph's Maine for a crucial conference tilt, while the Engineers host Emmanuel College at Rockwell Cage.

Recap Courtesy of MIT Sports Information