Worcester, MA --- Kylee Piche (Bridgewater, MA) canned a pair of free throws with 19.8 seconds remaining to propel Bridgewater State to a hard-earned 63-61 victory over visiting WPI in a non-conference women's basketball matchup on Tuesday night inside the Tinsley Center. 

Bridgewater State is 6-1 with its lone loss at Division I Bryant to open the season.  WPI, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped with the result, is now 4-2 overall.

With Bridgewater State up by three with 4:27 remaining the fourth quarter, the Engineers did not go down without a fight. Caitlyn Dasaro (Fairfield, VT) made a key jump shot with 2:51 left, getting the Crimson and Gray within one at 59-58.  Two possessions later, Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, MA) tallied 1-of-2 free throws, tying up the game at 59 all with 1:30 remaining.

Piche put the Bears back ahead by hitting a free throw with 30.5 seconds to go, but Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, MA) hit a quick layup to put the Engineers back up by one with 25.7 seconds left.  After a foul by the visitors, Piche netted both free throws, elevating the score to 62-61 in favor of the hosts with 19.8 seconds remaining. WPI held possession for the next 16.7 seconds but turned the ball with 3.1 seconds remaining.   Piche added on another free throw point with 2.2 seconds to go, concluding the game at 63-61 in favor of Bridgewater State.

To begin the game, Bridgewater State dented the scoreboard first with a quick three-pointer from Arielle Cleveland (Groveland, MA) at 9:44. After this, the game would be absent of field goals for 3:04 with WPI's Allison Fullem (Underhill, VT) breaking the streak at 6:40. The visitors would start the game with a five-possession scoreless streak, but free throws and Fullem's basket ultimately ticked the scoring column and got the game rolling.

The first quarter featured a lot of back-and-forth action, ending at 17-15 in favor of the Bears. Giansiracusa tallied five points for the Engineers and Piche accounted for seven points for the hosts.

During the second half, Kelly knocks in two shots for the Crimson and Gray to get the offense going, matching the score at 19 all. After a trey by Fullem, the Bears clawed ahead off free throws and kept the momentum going until halftime, where Bridgewater State led 32-27. At the half, Kelly accumulated six with Giansiracusa, Fullem, Shannon Reno (Millbury, MA) all chipping in five each. Piche dominated for the hosts, accounting for 14 points, with Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, MA) and Cleveland both adding on seven.

The third quarter began with WPI notching five straight points, but then the hosting responds to lift their lead back to five with 7:13 remaining in the stanza. The next two shots the visitors accounted were mirrored; Dasaro ticks the scoring column with a jump shot, followed by a Piche jump shot, and a Megan Stone (Hanson, MA) layup led to a Jessica D'Amours (Feeding Hills, MA) layup.

Beginning with 5:05 left, WPI saw an empowering 12-3 run to end the quarter, putting the Engineers up 48-44 going into the final 10 minutes. The Boynton Hillers held the hosts to just 1-of-5 field goals in the last five minutes, with Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA) notching seven of the 12 points during the run.

The Engineers saw a 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter, with Dasaro accounting for all six. The Bears would not accept a deficit, seeing a 15-2 run of their own during a three-minute span, ending with 4:27 remaining in the game. Cleveland accounted for six of the 15 points, with Piche chipping in four. The final four minutes were neck and neck, ultimately landing in favor of the Bears with a 63-61 victory.

On the night, WPI shot 26-of-62 (41.9%) with 19 bench points and 14 second chance points. Bridgewater State was held to 36.7% (22-of-60) which included 30 points in the paint. For the Engineers, Dasaro registered 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and Allyn added on 10 points, with both grabbing five boards a piece. Giansiracusa and Kelly each accounted for another eight points, with Kelly snatching nine rebounds.

For the Bears, Piche shined with 24 points and added on two boards and a pair assists.  Cleveland accumulated 16 points and eight rebounds, and Grassi added 12 points and seven caroms.

Both teams play again on Saturday at 2pm. WPI is on the road to face Salem State while Bridgewater State hosts No. 13 UMass Dartmouth.

Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25