Worcester, MA --- Tara Gabelman (Irvington, NY) poured in a team-best 16 points to help Connecticut College rally from an early 15-0 deficit to defeat host WPI, 64-55, in a non-conference women's basketball matchup on Tuesday evening. The visiting Camels remain undefeated at 3-0 while the Engineers see their record even out at 2-2 on the season.
WPI wasted no time jumping out to a 15-0 lead capped off by a layup by Kelly Morgan (Brookline, NH) with 16:18 remaining in the first period. All five Engineer starters scored during the opening run. Connecticut College missed its first nine shots from the floor while WPI hit six of its first eight shots.
The visiting Camels spent much of the rest of the half slowly chipping away at the Crimson and Gray lead. A jumper by Gabelman with 7:15 remaining in the period cut the lead to 19-14. Two minutes later Jeanna Dunleavy (Chatham, NJ) hit a jump shot just inside the arc to bring Connecticut College to within four with 5:11 remaining. With 1:46 left, a layup by Gabelman cut the lead to one. The visitors took the lead on two free throws by Jocelyn Summers (Highland Park, NJ) with 48 seconds left and Connecticut College went into halftime with a 31-28 advantage. 13 second-chance points and a 22-15 edge in rebounds helped key the comeback by the Camels.
Connecticut College opened the second half on a 10-3 run, capped off by a layup by Dunleavy exactly three minutes into the period. After WPI managed to cut the lead to five, the visitors responded in kind to extend its advantage to 13 after a three-point jumper by Jenn Shinall(Redding, CT) with 8:22 left in the game. A 10-3 run late in the game pulled the Engineers to within six when Theresa Logan (Southboro, MA) hit a jumper with 3:07 remaining cut the deficit to 57-51. A late WPI flurry, however, came too little, too late for the Engineers.
In addition to leading the scoring load, Gabelman also had seven rebounds to lead Connecticut College to the win. Shinall scored 13 points with four rebounds and three assists. Dunleavy and Carlee Smith (Willimantic, CT) each scored 11 points while pulling down seven and five rebounds, respectively.
For WPI, Logan scored a game-high 17 points with four rebounds while Cindy Chelius (Northfield, NJ) contributed in all areas with 11 points, ten rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal. Baillie McNally (Mapleville, RI) added five points, four assists and three steals.
Rebounding was a critical factor in Connecticut College's victory, as the Camels enjoyed a decisive 48-29 edge. The guests also shot a near-perfect 91.3 percent from the free throw line, hitting 21 of 23 of its free throws.
Both squads are off until after the Thanksgiving holiday. WPI heads to Providence for a 2pm match Sunday with Rhode Island College while Connecticut College opens its 2011-2012 home slate next Tuesday against Western Connecticut at 7pm.
Story written by Mike Rupp - WPI Athletics