WORCESTER --- Smith's Hannah Martin (North Andover, MA) tallied 10 points in each half to guide the Pioneers to a 61-51 victory over host WPI on Saturday afternoon inside Harrington Auditorium.
 
The Pioneers, ranked eighth in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25, improve to 13-1 overall and 1-0 in NEWMAC action. The Engineers drop to 7-8 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.
 
Smith jumped out to an early lead when Jane Loo (Saratoga, CA) banked a three-pointer to open the game. Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, CT) put the Engineers on the board, but Loo responded with a pull-up jumper at 8:04, extending Smith's lead to 5-2. Both teams then went cold until Ally Landau (Livingston, NJ) broke the silence with a jumper at 5:39.
 
The Pioneers gained momentum as Martin scored back-to-back layups. However, the Engineers fought back with consecutive baskets, including a field goal from Allison Fullem (Underhill, VT) and a three-point play by Kelly with 2:37 left in the quarter. Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) ended the quarter with a three-pointer, but Smith held a 17-12 lead going into the second.
 
WPI opened the second quarter strong, cutting the deficit to just one at 17-16 after Megan Stone (Hanson, MA) and Giansiracusa each completed layups in the first two minutes. Smith responded with a burst of offense, netting three field goals to push their lead to 26-18 with 4:22 remaining in the half. The Engineers closed the gap to four with 3:32 with buckets by Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA) and Fullem. However, Smith ended the half strong with a second-chance bucket by Lena Lipani (Penfield, NY), taking a 31-23 lead into the locker room.
 
After the first half, Kelly led the Engineers with seven points and five rebounds. Giansiracusa and Fullem each chipped in five points, with Fullem adding three boards. For the Pioneers, Martin reaches double digits with 10 points and three steals. Loo contributed seven points and four rebounds while Landau tallied four points and an assist.
 
The third quarter opened with both teams trading layups, with Loo and Landau scoring for the Pioneers, while Allyn and Fullem answered for the Engineers. Smith then seized control with a 14-2 run sparked by a Martin steal leading to a driving layup, and Loo added a corner three and free throws, extending the lead to 42-27 at the 6:34 mark. Stone added a bucket for the Engineers, but Martin and Virginia Johnson(Minneapolis, MN) kept the momentum with additional baskets for the Pioneers to push the lead to 20 at the end of the third quarter.
 
The Engineers made a late push with a 9-1 run from 8:59 to 5:18, highlighted by a pair of Fullem layups that cut the deficit to 14. Back-and-forth action occurred for the remainder of the quarter, with WPI securing a few driving layups, and Allyn completing a conventional three-point play. Smith's lead was insurmountable as the Pioneers held firm securing a 61-51 triumph despite an 18-8 push by the Crimson and Gray. 
 
Fullem guided the Engineers with 13 points and eight boards. Kelly, Giansiracusa, Allyn and Leila Nielsen (New York, NY) each chipped in seven points on the afternoon. Kelly grabbed seven boards and Giansiracusa had two steals.
 
For the Pioneers, Martin stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, four steals, three assists, and two boards. Loo tallied 15 points and six rebounds, and Landau contributed nine points, three assists and four caroms.
 
WPI shot 23-of-52 (44.2%) of field goals while holding Smith to 39.7% (23-of-58). The Pioneers saw an advantage in points off turnovers, 25-9, while the Engineers saw more points in the paint, 40-32.
 
Both teams continue with conference action next Wednesday at 7pm. WPI hosts Salve Regina while Smith returns home to entertain Babson.
 
Recap written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25