Kates' Heroics Keep MIT Perfect During 60-56 win at Tufts

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Junior Mitchell Kates (Colts Neck, N.J.) made the go-ahead layup with 21 seconds remaining and No. 7 MIT held on for a 60-56 win on the road at Tufts University on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Engineers match their best start in program history at 11-0. Tufts, which was receiving votes in the latest D3Hoops Top 25 poll, fall for the second straight game to move to 6-3 overall.

Kates finished with 14 points and filled the stat sheet with four rebounds, four steals and three assists. Senior Noel Hollingsworth (Salt Lake City, Utah) led all scorers with 26 points while also collecting 11 boards.

With the game tied at 56, junior Will Tashman (Atherton, Calif.) found Kates for what would prove to be the deciding bucket. Kates would come up with a huge steal on the ensuing Tufts possession and knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the victory for the Cardinal and Gray.

Tech led for most of the second half before C.J. Moss (Westport, Mass.) put the Jumbos ahead 43-42 with 8:14 remaining, capping a 14-7 run that erased the Cardinal and Gray's six-point halftime advantage. The lead would change seven more times down the stretch and MIT used an 8-1 run in the final five minutes to overcome a 54-48 lead for Tufts.

The Engineers went into the locker room ahead 29-23, behind 12 first-half points by Hollingsworth.

Alex Orchowski (Cornwall, N.Y.) led the Jumbos with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Moss had 11 points in the losing effort.

MIT will look to improve to 12-0 on Wednesday, December 14 as it returns home to face Wheelock College at 7:00 p.m. Tufts will be off until after the new year, playing Gordon College on January 3 at 7:00 p.m.