Worcester, MA --- Theresa Logan (Southboro, MA) tallied 13 of her game-high 17 points in the first half and the WPI defense held Mount Holyoke without a field goal for over a 16-minute span in the opening stanza as the host Engineers defeated the Lyons 47-26 in a NEWMAC women's basketball matchup on Wednesday evening.
The win snaps a three-game losing streak for the Engineers and moves the hosts to 15-6 on the season and 11-4 in conference action. Mount Holyoke slips to 6-15 overall and 4-11 in NEWMAC play.
The Lyons connected on their first two field goals of the night in the opening 1:12 of the contest to take a 4-3 advantage. The WPI defense then clamped down, forcing the visitors to miss 21 consecutive shots and commit 11 turnovers over the next 16:08. The Engineers, buoyed by the defensive effort, rattled off 19 of the 22 points scored during the span to take a 22-7 advantage with 2:40 to go before the break. The hosts would not see the bulge sliced to single digits the rest of the way.
Logan, who scored WPI's first seven points of the game, canned 8-of-11 shots and added eight rebounds on the night. She was the only player on either team to crack double figures in scoring.
Elle Fontaine (Franklin, MA) overcame a sluggish shooting night by hauling in a game-best 13 rebounds and registering a career-best-equaling four blocks. Oddly enough, Fontaine's other four-block performance came against the Lyons. She also has four blocks in a NEWMAC Quarterfinal victory in February of 2009.
Lauren Hannmann (East Greenbush, NY) added nine points for the Engineers while Siena Mamayek (Melrose, MA) led all reserves with seven points off the bench.
Mount Holyoke was paced by sophomore guard Angelica Pascual (Lawrence, MA), who tallied eight points and eight rebounds. First year forward Jennine Vizcaino (New York, NY) collected five points and seven boards, while guards Christine Chancy (Bay Harbor Island, FL) andAnnabel Barrett (Williamstown, MA) added four points apiece.
The Lyons shot just 18.3% (11-60) from the floor and missed all 11 of their 3-point attempts.
WPI plays its final home contest of the regular season on Saturday, welcoming Wellesley to Harrington Auditorium for a 2pm contest. Mount Holyoke concludes a two-game road trip by venturing to Cambridge the same day at 2pm to face MIT.
Portion of release courtesy of Michael S. Raposo - Mount Holyoke Sports Information Director