Capstick registers 11 points, five rebounds and three steals in the loss

NORTON, Mass. – MIT broke open its up six-point advantage at the break (35-29) with a 22-10 run to begin the second half en route to its 80-53 victory over the Wheaton College men's basketball team on Thursday night inside Emerson Gymnasium. Tonight's contest was originally scheduled for January 28, but was postponed due to inclement weather.

Wheaton senior guard Eddie Capstick (Worcester, Mass./Marianapolis Prep) led the hosts with 11 points, five rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block. Junior guard Billy Battaglia (Simsbury, Conn./Taft School) added eight points, while first-year guard Ryan Fogarty (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) contributed nine points. Sophomore forward Zach Parsons (Belchertown, Mass./Belchertown) chipped in with five points and two rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.

Senior small forward Dennis Levene (Weston, Conn./Choate Rosemary Hall) paced all five of MIT's starters who scored in double-figures tonight with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field (2-4 3-PT, 4-5 FT). Levene also registered four blocks, three rebounds and two assists in the win for the Engineers who entered tonight's contest ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division III and No. 6 among all NCAA division in scoring defense allowing just 54.4 points per game.

Classmate Andrew Acker (Merion Station, Pa./The Haverford School) followed with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while junior guard Justin Pedley (Kennewick, Wash./Kamiakin) compiled 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor. Senior forward Matt Redfield (Los Altos, Calif./Gunn) notched his second double-double in just his seventh game this season with 13 points and 12 rebounds alongside a game-high seven blocks and five assists.

Junior guard Ryan Frankel (New York, N.Y./Collegiate School) rounded out the list of double-digit scorers with 11 points, a game-high eight assists and five rebounds. The Engineers assisted on 21 of their 26 made baskets on the night and had more blocks (14) than turnovers (13) in the contest.

The Lyons erased a 16-point deficit (25-9) with 8:23 remaining in the opening stanza using a 20-10 run to close out the half. Wheaton went to work on the glass during that span hauling in 13 rebounds while turning in six points on the fast break. Fogarty guided the charge with seven points and Capstick aided the offense with five points.

A tip-in on a Fogarty layup as time expired to end the half by senior guard K.J. Pontes (Dorchester, Mass./Milton Academy) capped the run and also sent Wheaton into the locker room down by six (35-29) at the break.

The Blue and White brought the game within five points (44-39) with 14:52 left to play in the matchup, but MIT rattled off 13-straight points to take a commanding 57-39 lead and never looked back. The Engineers biggest advantage ballooned to as many as 28 points during the contest on two separate occasions highlighted by a baseline two-handed dunk from Redfield at the 2:46 mark. MIT's other 28-point lead came with 1:31 left to go on a layup from senior reserve guard David Bender (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands College Park).

MIT out-rebounded Wheaton, 48-33, and also turned in a 36-28 advantage in points in the paint. The Lyons bench outscored the Engineers, 24-10. Pontes and first-year forward Liam Bruno (Newton, Mass./Newton North) factored into the bench scoring with four points apiece.

Wheaton (3-14, 0-7 NEWMAC) hosts Coast Guard Academy this Saturday in a NEWMAC contest at 1 p.m. MIT (13-4, 6-1 NEWMAC) welcomes Clark University to its campus on Saturday for a conference clash at 2 p.m.

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