South Hadley, MA --- A total of six players reached double-figures in the contest, but it was the visiting Engineers that came out on top as WPIheld off Mount Holyoke in NEWMAC women's basketball action on Wednesday evening. With the victory, WPI clinches a NEWMAC Tournament bid and moves to 13-8 overall and 9-6 in conference play, while the Lyons slip to 5-15 and 3-12 in the NEWMAC.
It was a close game through the first 12 minutes as neither team led by more than two points to get the contest going. Mount Holyoke pulled away with 9:20 left in the half as junior forward Jennine Vizcaino (New York, NY) drained a jumper to give the home team a four-point (19-15) lead.
The momentum made a quick shift moments later as senior center Cindy Chelius (Northfield, NJ) sank the first of three consecutive layups to give the visitors a two-point (21-19) advantage and a lead they would not relinquish from that point on.
Back-to-back jumpers by sophomore guard Dani Davis (East Granby, CT), who had a game-best 11 points in the first half, gave WPI its largest lead through the first 20 minutes as the Engineers held an 11-point (32-23) margin with 2:19 remaining. The Lyons could not cut the deficit closer than nine at the half as the visitors headed into the intermission with a 34-25 lead.
In the second half, the Engineers continued to dominate as senior forward Theresa Logan(Southboro, MA) dropped in a jumper and a layup to make it a 40-28 lead with 17:12 to play in the contest. WPI, which was outstanding off the glass with 52 rebounds (22 offensive) in the game, continued to capitalize on second chances and grabbed a 12-point (49-35) advantage with 12:28 on the clock.
A layup by junior forward Siena Mamayek (Melrose, MA) gave WPI its largest lead of the game, 54-38, at the 9:03 mark, but the Lyons began to chip away the margin. Vizcaino nailed a jumper with 4:50 to play to cut the deficit to nine and senior guard Jasmine Brown (Enfield, CT) sank a layup to make it a seven-point game with 3:49 to play.
WPI rebounded quickly and took advantage of several MHC fouls and missed buckets to build the lead back up to double-digits, including four points from Chelius over the final two minutes of the contest.
For the game, Davis recorded a game-best 17 points with a game-high eight rebounds. She also added an assist. Chelius added 14 points and seven rebounds with two assists and a steal, while Mamayek also chipped in with 14 points and a game-best eight rebounds.
Mount Holyoke saw senior guard Angelica Pascual (Lawrence, MA) pour in a team-high 15 points with four rebounds. Vizcaino added 14 points with four caroms and a steal, while sophomore guard Kate Karraker (Morgantown, WV) added 11 points, including a game-best three shots from beyond the arc. She also chipped in with a game-high three assists and two steals.
Mount Holyoke is back in action on Saturday at Coast Guard. The game is scheduled to begin at 1pm. WPI is also in action on Saturday, hosting Wellesley in a 2pm contest.
Release Courtesy Mount Holyoke Sports Information