Both squads traded baskets during the first ten minutes of the contest, tying the game five times. After Tech’s Christa Margossian sank one of two shots from the charity stripe, Taryn Brassil gave Wheaton the lead (12-11) for good on a jumper at 9:19. The Lyons closed the half with a 15-7 run, holding a 27-20 advantage at the intermission.
Strong defense coupled with a pair of free throws and a basket by Samia Mahjub helped MIT come within three points during the opening minutes of the second stanza. After a Wheaton timeout, the Lyons went on an 11-2 run, extending their lead to as many as 12 points (38-26) at the 10:47 mark. The Engineers were able to whittle Wheaton’s advantage to three (45-42) before the Lyons sank nine of their next 10 free throws to finish the game.
Rayna Zacks tallied nine points and six rebounds for Tech while Andrea Dooley contributed eight points.
Kim McCormack posted a double-double for Wheaton, totaling 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Amanda Dow-Allen had 10 points and a game-high four assists.
The next game for MIT will be on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 1:00 p.m. when it hosts NEWMAC foe Worcester Polytechnic Institute.