In the first meeting between both programs, the MIT women's basketball team registered a 73-42 victory over Johnson State College on Tuesday night in Rockwell Cage. Senior Sabrina Drammis led all players with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor and added two steals for the Engineers (1-0). Junior Kasey DeGreenia paced the Badgers with 11 points as their ledger lowered to 1-1 on the season.
MIT rattled off the first 15 points of the game before a layup from junior Nicole Menard (Milton, Vt.) put Johnson State on the board at the 5:16 mark. The Cardinal and Gray replied with a 13-4 run during the next four minutes but a three-pointer from freshman Kaitlyn Brouard and a free throw by DeGreenia narrowed the gap to 28-10 at the end of the first quarter.
The Badgers carried the momentum into the second quarter as it came within 16 (31-15) courtesy of a Menard free throw and two DeGreenia baskets with 6:18 on the clock. A put-back by freshman Kara Holinski kicked off a string of 12 unanswered points by the hosts that was capped by a Drammis three-point play. A trey from freshman Amanda Bednarick ended Johnson State's three-minute scoring drought with just under three minutes left in the period. The scoring was balanced down the stretch as DeGreenia's layup with eight ticks remaining made the score 48-23 at the intermission.
The back and forth scoring continued in the third quarter until a basket by MIT freshman Sophie Gershon with 5:47 on the clock kicked off an 8-2 spurt that resulted in a 65-31 advantage at the end of the frame. Despite the deficit, the Badgers continued to attack as it outscored the Engineers, 11-5, during the first half of the fourth quarter. Junior Domonique Carter-Stanley provided back-to-back layups while junior Allyson Bruckner's three-pointer moved the score to 70-42 with 4:36 remaining in regulation. MIT wrapped up the scoring on a Holinski basket and a free throw from freshman Dolly Yuan.
Holinski tallied 19 points as she was 8-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc, while also producing five rebounds and four assists. Gershon finished with 13 points as she hit six of her seven field goal attempts and hauled in five boards, all off the offensive glass. Freshman Kristen Ngan completed the Engineers' double-digit scoring with 11 points to go along with five rebounds. Junior Liana Ilutzi rounded out the squad with a game-high eight assists.
Bednarick contributed eight points coming off the bench for Johnson State as Carter-Stanley chipped in six points. Junior Sarah Voorhis collected a game-high six rebounds, followed by four from Brouard. Bruckner also snagged four boards and led all players with three steals.
Next up for MIT will be the NYU Tip-Off Classic beginning with the host Violets on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 12:00 p.m. followed by a match-up with Heidelberg University on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Johnson State will also be in tournament action this weekend as it will travel to SUNY Plattsburgh for a 6:00 p.m. tilt with the host Cardinals on Friday, Nov. 20.