The first half was a tightly fought battle which featured three ties and three lead changes. A lay-up by Tech’s Kimberly Soo Hoo was answered with a trey from Krystin Hickey. Soo Hoo then set-up Clara Yuan for a three-pointer, giving MIT its last lead of the game as Hickey quickly answered with a lay-up. Wheaton’s advantage eventually grew to six points on two occasions, but the Engineers remained within striking distance, tying the game at 21 with 6:03 remaining in the half. The Lyons tacked on five more points, before Tech came within one (26-25) with 34 seconds left on the clock. A three-point play by Aitchison gave Wheaton a 29-25 edge at the intermission.
Aitchison opened the scoring in the second stanza with a three-pointer, which was answered by a trey from Yuan. Hickey continued the trend by sinking her second shot from behind the arc. On the ensuing possession, Christa Margossian set up Sharon Prange for a lay-up, bringing the score to 35-30 after three minutes had expired. Aitchison’s jumper was countered with baskets by Cherelle Walls and Kinnaman, getting the Engineers within three (37-34) at the 16:09 mark. Wheaton went on to outscore MIT, 20-10, over the next 14 minutes to establish its largest lead of the game (58-44).
Utilizing offensive and defensive substitutions towards the end of the game, the Engineers held the Lyons without a field goal during the final 3:17. At the same time, a pair of free throws and a trey from Yuan sparked Tech’s late rally. Kinnaman posted a lay-up, a three-point play, and drained a three-pointer around two made shots from the charity stripe by Bri Smith. After falling short in two consecutive trips to the free-throw line, Brandee Williams-Epes made both of her shots to extend the lead to eight (65-57) with 26 seconds remaining in regulation. Soo Hoo closed the scoring by sinking a shot near mid-court as time expired.
Yuan and Prange joined Kinnaman in double-figure scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Margossian grabbed 10 boards as Soo Hoo dished out a game-high seven assists.
Hickey totaled 13 points while Casey Sorbara and Kim McCormack each amassed five steals. Amy Johnson notched a game-high four blocks for Wheaton.
The next game for MIT will be on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7:00 p.m. when it travels to UMass-Dartmouth.