CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Simmons Basketball fell to the MIT Engineers 64-29 in non-conference women's basketball action on Wednesday night. Senior Leah Davis (Cranston, R.I.) paced the Sharks (1-5) with 15 points to go along with four rebounds.
MIT quickly took a 7-2 lead but Simmons evened the scored at seven on a basket by freshman Jamie Zoldy (Watertown, Conn.) at the 14:03 mark. The Engineers gained some breathing room on layups by juniors Mari Kordell (Ijamsville, Md.) and Michelle Battipaglia (Katonah, N.Y.); however, the Sharks narrowed the gap to two (11-9) courtesy of a jumper from sophomore Grace Rolfe (Newton, Mass.) with 10:20 on the clock. MIT responded with a Battipaglia put-back, igniting a 22-5 run that resulted in a 33-14 advantage at halftime.
The hosts carried the momentum into the second stanza, producing a 12-4 spurt that featured six straight points by Drammis. Simmons found some success at the free-throw line midway through the frame as freshman Liz Brasa (East Hartford, Conn.) drained the second of her two shots while Davis connected on all four attempts to bring the deficit down to 24 (47-23) with 10:30 left to play. The game became a defensive battle during the next three minutes until a free throw by Drammis led to a game-ending 17-6 run for the Engineers.
In addition to her game-high scoring performance, Drammis added six rebounds, four steals, and two blocks. Battipaglia finished with nine points and five boards as senior Rachel Hunt (Arlington Heights, Ill.) recorded four blocks. Sophomore Maya Ramachandran (Fremont, Calif.) tallied 14 rebounds, eight points, and four steals while classmate Durva Bhandare (North Brunswick, N.J.) tacked on seven points, four rebounds, and three assists. Kordell rounded out the squad with seven boards, five assists, and three steals.
Senior Desh Perera (Reading, Mass.) led the Sharks with seven rebounds and added a block and a steal. Sophomore Nicole Alberghini (Northborough, Mass.) hauled in six caroms as Brasa earned two blocks.
Both squads return to action on Saturday, Dec. 7. MIT will resume NEWMAC play with a home game versus Mount Holyoke College while Simmons will travel to Pine Manor College.