Springfield, MA --- Behind a career-best 24 points from Chelsea McAllister (Baltimore, VT), the Springfield women's basketball team defeated the defending NEWMAC Champions, WPI, 67-60, on Wednesday evening in Blake Arena.
With the win, the Pride, which was ranked No. 12 in the first NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Regional Rankings, improves to 16-6 overall and 11-2 in conference play, while WPI, which was ranked No. 10 in the regional rankings, falls to 18-4 on the year with a 10-3 mark in the NEWMAC.
Along with her 24 points, McAllister also notched four rebounds, two assists and one steal, while Ava Adamopoulos (Ludlow, MA) registered her third-straight double double consisting of 10 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Lexi Windwer (Milton, Mass.) continued to shoot well from behind the arc, as she tallied 12 points, including going 4-for-6 from downtown.
For the Engineers, Stasha Greenalch (Newington, CT) led the way with 17 points, four steals, three assists and two rebounds, while Priscilla Dunphy (Barrington, RI) posted 16 points to go along with six boards, two assists and a pair of steals. Ama Biney (Worcester, MA) finished with 12 points and four rebounds in the setback.
Knotted at four apiece 4:20 into the contest, McAllister's first three of the game gave the Pride a three-point advantage, before a triple from Windwer made it 13-8 with 2:37 to play in the stanza. Holding on to a three-point, 13-10 advantage with 1:45 left in the period, Dunphy and McAllister traded threes at their respective ends of the floor, before a made jumper from Greenalch made it 16-15, Springfield College, at the end of one.
A pair of free throws from Greenalch just 2:47 into the second quarter sparked a 6-0 run for WPI, which gave the visitors a 23-18 lead midway through the frame, but a lay-up from Alex Goslin (South Windsor, CT) with 3:06 to play in the half would cut the Pride's deficit to one. After Biney converted a lay-up to help the Engineers regain its three-point lead, Goslin would close out the half with another basket to make it 27-26, WPI, at the break.
WPI would take a five-point lead midway through the third on a good jumper from Madison Beck (Syracuse, NY) to make it 35-30, but later in the quarter, a jumper from Goslin would spark a 8-0 run, capped by a corner three from McAllister to make it 42-40, Pride, with 1:45 to play. McAllister would end the quarter with two more baskets to give the maroon and white a 46-43 lead heading into the final stanza.
Springfield would push its lead to as much as seven on an offensive rebound and putback from Adamopoulos with 4:32 to play, but WPI would pull back to within three on a triple from Biney with 2:46 to go. From there, the Pride received a three-pointer from Windwer, before the Pride was able to seal the win at the free-throw line.
Up next, WPI hosts Wellesley Saturday at 1pm while Springfield travels to Coast Guard at the same time.
Release Courtesy Springfield Sports Information