Tuesday’s tilt in Cambridge featured plenty of runs despite the low count. Senior Danny Kanamori connected on a three with 11 minutes to play in the opening frame to give the Cardinal and Gray a 19-13 lead, however, Connecticut College bounced right back behind three jumpers by sophomore Jeff Young and a three courtesy of rookie Will Lyons as the Camels pushed past the Engineers with a 13-point run (26-19). After shaking off the tough stretch, D’Auria took over for MIT; hitting shots from behind the arc on three straight possessions as Tech clawed back in front by four. A quick exchange of baskets sent the teams to the locker room with the Engineers holding a 33-30 advantage.
In the early moments of the second half, MIT broke the game open and looked to be on its way to a surprisingly easy win. Up 35-32, senior Gary Atkins sparked a 15-1 run for the Engineers with a bucket in the paint. Six points by junior Alex Krull, including a traditional three-point play on a tremendous baseline drive comprised the meat of the run, while Bradley Gampel’s lay-up gave MIT its largest lead of the game at 17 with just over 12 minutes left on the clock (50-33).
Despite the large deficit, the Camels remained unrattled and quietly worked their way back into contention as the Engineers went cold from the field. Charles Stone asserted control for Connecticut College’s attack in the paint, while back-to-back three’s by Billy Karis and Will Lyons slashed the Engineers’ lead to three with 4:28 to go (54-51).
Tight defense hampered both offenses in the final minutes. Charles Stone had a chance to tie the game with a three at the buzzer, but his shot from the left wing was off as MIT sealed its third consecutive win.
D’Auria finished with four steals and four assists, while shooting 6-of-9 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from outside. Kanamori and Krull chipped in 11 a piece for MIT, while Kanamori also added a season-best five assists. Hamidou Soumare was Tech’s top rebounder on Tuesday with nine caroms off the glass.
The Camels were paced by Stone, who recorded his second straight double-double with 13 points and a game-high 10 boards. Billy Karis also had 13 for the Camels, while Jeff Young finished with 10.