Springfield, Mass. – December 4, 2024 – After five straight contests on the road, the Springfield College men's basketball team returned to Blake Arena for an 83-75 win over MIT in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener for both squads on Wednesday evening.

Springfield improved to 2-4 overall and 1-0 in NEWMAC play, while MIT dipped to 4-4, 0-1.

Three Springfield student-athletes registered double-digit point totals led by Xoren Livingston (Wayland, Mass.), who posted 23 points in addition to eight rebounds. Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) added 19 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Josh Hartley (Brooklyn, Mass.) registered 17 points and a team-best nine boards and four steals.

MIT received 22 points from both Spencer Lin and Isaac Dobie as well as 16 points from Rome Delgado-Gonzalez.

Springfield shot a season-best 47.5-percent from the floor and a season-best 41.7-percent from behind the arc. The Pride also registered a season-best 83 points, 44 of which came in the paint, in tonight's NEWMAC opening win over the Engineers. A season ago, Springfield and MIT split the season series with the Pride's win coming in Blake Arena on January 20.

Over the first 20 minutes of tonight's contest, neither team held more than a three-point advantage with the score tied on 11 different occasions and the lead changing hands 13 different times. A jumper by Livingston gave Springfield its first lead of the game at 6-5 just 2:48 into the game.

Springfield had an answer for MIT almost every time the Engineers knocked down a bucket including on an emphatic dunk by Flynn with under two minutes to play in the stanza knotting the score at 29 and a layup by Hartley tying the score at 31 a minute later. A trey by Lin, however, gave MIT a 34-31 edge at the break.

The score stood even at 53 midway through the second before Springfield embarked on a 7-2 run capped by a fast break layup off a steal by Hartley for a 60-55 lead. The run continued just a minute later when Springfield ripped off nine straight points as a trey by Cedric Rodriguez (Burlington, Mass.) pushed the Pride's lead to its largest of the game at 12 points, 71-59, with 5:49 left on the clock.

MIT chipped away over the next few possessions and eventually climbed back within just four points at 77-73 following a three point bucket from Lin, but an immediate answer by Evely pushed Springfield's lead back to six as the Pride held on for the 83-75 win.

Springfield will welcome Emmanuel College to Blake Arena on Saturday for a non-conference tilt at 1:00 pm.

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