Springfield, MA --- Amanda Leary (Westbury, NY) and Jaélen Daubon (Hyde Park, NY) teamed up to score 34 points to propel host Springfield to a 57-44 victory over WPI in a NEWMAC women's basketball contest played inside Blake Arena on Saturday afternoon. 

The Pride, who have won five straight and remain in a three-way place tie atop the league with Smith and MIT, improve to 17-4 overall and 6-1 in conference action.  WPI falls to 10-11 on the season and 2-5 in NEWMAC play. 

Springfield used early sharp-shooting by Daubon and Leary to open up a 21-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Pride closed the quarter on an 11-3 run, going 5-of-7 from the field, including seven points from Leary. 

A free throw by Caitlyn Dasaro (Underhill, VT) a minute into the second quarter was the only point scored by the Engineers for a 10-minute stretch from the halfway point of the first quarter to the halfway point of the second quarter, as Angela Czeremcha (West Springfield, MA) dominated the paint defensively for Springfield. A long two by Adrianna Niles (Tewksbury, MA) broke the scoring drought for WPI, ending a 14-4 run for the Pride, in which they capitalized on 6-of-7 opportunities from the charity stripe. 

The Engineers showed no quit, as their shooting fate changed positively as they went 4-of-5 to end the half strong. Prior to that stretch, the Crimson and Gray were just 3-of-19 from the floor, highlighting the staunch defense of the Pride squad. Daubon and Leary had monster first halves, pouring in 14 and 13 points respectively, as Springfield went into the locker room up 37-22. 

The two teams battled to open the second half, with WPI winning the quarter 12-11, but Springfield maintained their double-digit cushion heading into the fourth quarter. Even play by both teams continued through the final quarter, as Springfield held onto the lead they opened up in the first quarter to leave with a 57-44 victory 

For WPI, Niles had a big day, dropping 16 points to go with five rebounds and two assists, as she played all but the final minutes of the game. Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, CT) was impressive on the defensive end, matching up against Czeremcha for much of the game and holding her well below her season average in points. Kelly pulled in five rebounds, to go with five points, two blocks and two steals. Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) scored six points for the Engineers, including 3-of-4 from the free throw line and chipped in with five points.  Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA), Niles and Kelly all dished out two assists on the day.

Leary and Daubon led the scoring for the Pride, with Leary dropping a game-high 18 points, and Daubon adding another 16. Leary totaled seven boards on the afternoon and went a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Czeremcha finished with eight rebounds and three blocks in a stellar defensive performance, adding six points on the offensive end. Claire Finney (Haverhill, MA) had a well-balanced day, totaling five points, five rebounds, and four assists, without turning the ball over a single time in 31 minutes of play. Rachel Vinton (Holden, MA) also contributed to Springfield's impressive day, as she grabbed five boards, dished four assists, and swiped four steals. 

The Pride outrebounded WPI 42-27, creating 12 second-chance points. They made the most of their opportunities from the charity stripe, scoring 13 from the free throw line on 86.7% shooting.  Both teams forced 12 turnovers and netted 10 points off turnovers. 

WPI returns home for a pair of contests next week including entertaining Wellesley on Wednesday at 5:30pm before hosting Coast Guard on Saturday at 2pm.   Springfield is on the road twice next week, beginning Wednesday at 7pm at Salve Regina and concluding Saturday at 1pm at Babson. 

Recap written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Owen Radcliffe '24