WORCESTER -- Tournament MVP Ally McMorrow (Quincy, MA) scored 12 points and All-Tournament team selection Adrianna Niles (Tewksbury, MA) registered 13 points to propel WPI to a 56-41 victory over RIT on the second day of the WPI Women's Basketball Holiday Classic on Saturday afternoon in Harrington Auditorium.
 
The Engineers, who knocked off William Smith (NY) on Friday in the tournament opener, is now 7-4 overall while RIT, which was upended by Franklin & Marshall (PA) in now 3-5 on the season.
 
Trailing the Tigers 19-12 in the early stages of the second quarter, the hosts embarked upon a 12-0 run to seize control of the game.  Niles contributed four points during the spurt while Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, CT) and Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) each contributed three points during the uprising.   WPI took a 29-23 led into the locker room at the break. 
 
The advantage ballooned to as many as 13 in the third quarter but RIT battled back to within six at 42-36 in the opening moments of the fourth quarter but the Crimson and Gray rattled off the next eight points, including a pair of McMorrow buckets to sew up the victory.
 
Point guard Shannon Reno (Millbury, MA) set a new career-high with seven assists as the Engineers were credited with an eye-popping 20 assists on 22 made basketball on the day.  Kelly stuffed the stat sheets with 10 rebounds, eight points and a career-best tying five assists and a game-high three steals.  Giansiracusa reached double figures in scoring with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Niles (3), and Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA) and Megan Stone (Hanson, MA) all doled out multiple assists on the day. 
 
The WPI defense was also strong, holding the guests to 41 points, a day after only allowing 43 in a victory over William Smith. On Saturday, the Engineers limited RIT to 24.6% shooting from the floor and forced 15 turnovers on the day.
 
Ella Wilson (Millbrook, NY) amassed 11 points for RIT, earning All-Tournament accolades for the Tigers while Erin DiPaola (Camillus, NY) contributed nine points, seven boards, three assists and a steal.
 
WPI continues its five-game homestand on Tuesday, entertaining Williams at 6pm.  RIT is back in action on Wednesday, hosting city rival Rochester at 7pm.
 

Franklin & Marshall Holds Off Herons in WPI Women's Basketball Holiday Classic
 
WORCESTER --- Franklin & Marshall's Ally Trebelev (Media, PA) led the Diplomats with 11 points as F&M posted a 51-45 triumph over William Smith in day two of the WPI Women's Basketball Holiday Classic on Saturday afternoon. 
 
Franklin & Marshall concluded the weekend in Worcester 2-0 and moves to 5-5 on the season while William Smith falls to 0-2 in the tournament and 1-9 overall.
 
The Diplomats marked a 15-9 lead after the opening quarter as Trebelev and Jaclyn Feit (Charlotte, NC) combined for nine of the squad's first quarter points. William Smith brought the contest to one-point after outscoring the Franklin & Marshall 16-11 in the second quarter for a 26-25 mark heading into the break.
 
Franklin & Marshall surged back in the third quarter outscoring the Herons 16-9, William Smith closed the gap despite the Diplomats recording a nine-point run in the fourth quarter to outlast the Herons, 51-45.
 
Feit from Franklin & Marshall was named to the WPI Holiday Classic All-Tournament team as Miranda Martin (Golden Bridge, NY) was selected for William Smith.   Martin paced William Smith with 17 points on Saturday while Brooke Jarvis (Baldwinsville, NY) chipped in with 15.
 
Franklin & Marshall shot 36.7% from the floor (18-49) as William Smith finished shooting 31.5% (17-54).
 
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