ENGINEERS SQUEEZE PAST SAINTS IN TWO-POINT THRILLER

BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Justin Pedley (Kennewick, Wash.) led all scorers with 24 points, including 15 in the second half to lead the MIT Engineers men's basketball team to a 64-62 victory over Emmanuel College at the EC Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.

The Engineers improve to 6-2 with the win, while the Saints fall to 1-6 as they head into the semester break.

The Saints scored the first seven points of the game, thanks to five points from senior Kyle Davis (Groveland, Mass.). After an Emmanuel timeout, the Engineers found their shooting groove and used an 11-2 run to take the lead with 10:14 remaining in the frame.

MIT would lead by as many as five points down the stretch in the first half, but the Saints trailed by just two at the break after a layup by freshman Will Jessup (Westwood, Mass.).

Davis had 10 points and seven rebounds in the first half on the way to his fifth double-double of the season. Senior John Clay (Westport, Mass.) nearly tallied a double-double in the opening 20 minutes, scoring nine points and pulling down nine rebounds for the Saints.

Pedley hit two three-pointers in the half for MIT, leading the Engineers with nine points.

A Clay layup to open the second half tied the game at 27-27 and neither team would lead by more than four points until a Bradley Jomard layup with 11:14 remaining gave MIT a 43-37 advantage.

After Emmanuel cut the lead to 43-42, Justin Pedley went on an individual 10-1 run over a 3:05 span to extend the lead to 53-43.

The Saints battled back down the stretch, getting within three with 1:43 left after another trey by Clay.  

After the teams traded layups, the Engineers missed two shots on the ensuing possession, but gathered both offensive rebounds to maintain control.

Following a Pedley free throw, another Davis layup made it 64-62, but the Saints were unable to force a last-second steal and MIT snuck away with the two-point victory.

Clay finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Saints in both categories. Davis ended up with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the effort. Colin Cordero also chipped in with 11 points in 27 minutes.

MIT was led by Pedley's 24 and received 14 points from Jomard and 12 from Tim Roberts.

The Saints will enjoy the holiday break before getting back to the court against Becker on Saturday, January 2, 2016 in New York, N.Y.