Box Score Springfield, Mass. - February 3, 2016 - The Springfield College men's basketball team was limited to a season-low 43 points as it dropped a 53-43 decision to MIT on Wednesday night in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play in Blake Arena.
The win the win, MIT improves its record to 15-5, 7-2 while the Pride fell to 8-12, 4-5 in league play.
Springfield was held to just 12 points in the first half and finished the game shooting 19-for-53 (35.8%), bolstered by a 13-for-25 performance (52%) in the second half. Steven Young (Hanson, Mass.) scored a team-best eight points off the bench for the Pride, while both Brandon Eckles (East Greenwich, R.I.) and Alex Garstka (Westfield, Mass.) netted seven points each.
MIT's starting five played the entire 40 minutes with Justin Pedley pouring in a game-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, incuding five from downtown. Bradley Jomard chipped in 14 points, six boards, and four blocks, and Lampros Tsontzos hauled in 19 defensive rebounds to help the Engineers own a 36-25 edge on the glass.
An inside bucket by Eckles put the home Pride ahead 4-3 just 2:32 into the contest, only to have MIT answer with eight straight points as a pair of Pedley free throws gave the visitors a 11-6 advantage with 11:48 on the clock. A Josh Downes (East Sandwich, Mass.) jumper cut the lead to three before MIT would clamp down on defense and pour on a 17-0 run over the next seven-plus minutes to earn a commanding 28-8 lead. The Engineers would head into the half with a 30-12 cushion thanks to 16 first-half points from Pedley and a defensive effort that limited Springfield to just 6-of-28 shooting (21.4%).
A deep Pedley three pushed MIT's lead to 38-14 just over two minutes into the second half to put the visitors in complete control. The Pride made a late push, outscoring the Engineers 16-3 in the final eight minutes, but fell short by the 10-point, 53-43 margin.
Springfield will now prep for an important NEWMAC meeting at Wheaton on Saturday which will start at 1:00 pm.
