CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A key offensive run in the fourth quarter helped MIT to pick up a 59-49 NEWMAC win versus Wellesley College basketball at Rockwell Cage on Wednesday night. Sophomore Ava Shane (Plano, Texas) scored 20 points for the Blue (9-10 Overall, 3-3 NEWMAC) in the setback.

The Engineers (10-10 Overall, 4-2 NEWMAC) were led by 13 points from both first-year Riley O'Sullivan (Glen Ridge, N.J.) and senior Brianna Lebrun (Hartford, Conn.). Grad student Mary Lobon (Valencia, Spain) earned nine rebounds and three blocks for the team.

Junior Trinity Barrow (Evans, Ga.) became only the third player in Blue program history to reach 200 career steals, with three on the night. Barrow added 13 points and six assists. Wellesley shot 22-of-56 (39.3%) as a team.

Up 41-40 at the opening of the fourth, a layup from Blue sophomore Proud Techarungchaikul (Bangkok, Thailand) put the Blue up three before MIT rattled off eight of its own to go up five at 48-43 with 5:49 remaining. First-year Ruth Lanouette (Devon, Pa.) and Lebrun did the damage for Tech. Barrow got it back to five at 50-45 with just over four minutes left before the teams alternated deep balls. MIT went up 56-48 on a pair of foul shots from O'Sullivan. Tech's defense held up as the Engineers finished off a 59-49 victory.

MIT opened the game on an 8-0 run across the first five and a half minutes of action. Lanouette scored four for the hosts early. Wellesley righted the ship by scoring nine of the final 13 points of the quarter to make it a three-point game after one quarter of play. Barrow started the scoring with a three, while Shane supplied two baskets for the Blue.

The Engineers opened the second with four points before the Blue settled in. Wellesley brought it back to a one-possession affair at 20-17 just before the halftime point of the period. MIT's lead stayed between three and six for the remainder of the frame, with a late jumper from Shane making it 27-23 as the team headed to the locker rooms.

The hosts scored the initial four points of the third but Wellesley returned fire with six unanswered to make it a one-point game at 30-29 on a midrange jumper from Shane. Back-to-back made jumpers from first-years Hailey Moy (San Francisco, Calif.) and Tanvi Agarwal (Woodinville, Wash.) near the three-minute mark knotted the game up at 35-35. The teams exchange points late with a Shane layup putting Wellesley up 41-40 with ten minutes to go. Shane hit the 20-point mark after three frames of play.

Each team will compete in a NEWMAC contest on Saturday, February 7. The Blue head across town to Babson College for a 3:00 PM tip-off. The Engineers host Mount Holyoke College at 1:00 PM.