Westfield, MA --- Junior Lindsay Bettke (Pelham, NY) notched 19 points as the SUNY New Paltz women's basketball team held off WPI, 71-64, Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the Westfield State Tournament. Engineer seniors Ama Biney (Worcester, MA) and Stasha Greenalch (Newington, CT) notched double-doubles in the setback.

The Hawks (4-5) take on host Westfield State tomorrow at 3pm while the Crimson and Gray (7-3) will face Ramapo at 1pm.

Senior Madison Beck (Syracuse, NY) paced the Engineers with a career-best 18 points as Biney totaled 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds and Greenalch posted 11 points and a career watermark of 10 assists. It is Biney's third double-double of the season and fifth of her career. Greenalch's unconventional double-double serves as her first.

Bettke was followed by junior Rachel Simon (Wallkill, NY) and sophomore Marion Dietz (Hopewell Junction, NY) with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Sophomore Paige Niemeyer (North Chatham, NY) hauled in seven rebounds. Along with sophomore Madison Van Pelt (Montgomery, NY), the starting lineup accounted for all 14 helpers.

The Engineers found themselves behind 16-8 after one and 31-18 at the half. Both teams then scored 17 in the third.

Down by 19 with 11:59 left in the game, Biney and the Engineers began to mount a comeback. Beck and Biney combined for three layups to get the Crimson and Gray within 13 heading into the fourth.

Senior Maura Buckley (Melrose, MA) and Biney kept the momentum going until Bettke interrupted with a jumper at 8:27. Beck scored the next two setting up a Biney layup to get within five 1:23 later. Biney again cut it to five with 2:14 remaining. Freshman Caitlin Boermeester (Billerica, MA) gave it a go with a three with 13 seconds left but two New Paltz trips to the line accounted for the final two points of the game.

While the Engineers committed five less turnovers, the Hawks netted seven more points off the giveaways. WPI also led in the paint (38-22) and on the fast break (14-4).