WORCESTER -- In a game featuring 12 lead changes and five ties, Babson outscored host WPI 19-18 in the fourth quarter to knock off the Engineers 62-59 in a closely-contested NEWMAC women's basketball matchup played in Harrington Auditorium on Saturday afternoon. 

WPI drops to 8-11 overall and 1-4 in NEWMAC action while Babson lifts to 10-9 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. 

Babson's Allessia Carlo (Carmel, NY) set the tone early, draining a three-pointer to open the scoring, but WPI's Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA) quickly answered with a trey of her own. The back-and-forth continued as Babson's next field goal was met by a three from Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, CT), giving WPI a 6-5 edge with just over five minutes left in the first quarter. Carlo struck again with 4:04 remaining, but both teams then went cold, enduring eight scoreless possessions. That drought ended when Caitlyn Dasaro (Fairfield, VT) broke through with 1:20 left on the clock. In the closing seconds, Chloe Perreault (Danbury, CT) hit a turnaround jumper at the buzzer, giving Babson a narrow 9-8 lead heading into the second quarter.

Allison Fullem (Underhill, VT) kicked off the second quarter with a smooth drive to the basket, finishing with a layup for the Engineers and igniting a scoring surge on both ends. Madison Hart (Greenwich, CT) responded with a three-point play for the visitors, while WPI's Kelly and Babson's Katelyn Mollica (Foxborough, MA) traded buckets over the next few possessions. The flurry of scoring saw the Beavers edge ahead 15-12 with 8:27 remaining in the half.

After some back-to-back action, WPI grabbed an 18-17 lead with 4:53 left in the half, courtesy of a driving layup from Kelly. However, Babson quickly responded less than a minute later with a bucket from Toni Thompson (Newbury Park, CA). The Beavers then created some separation, taking the largest lead of the game at six points, 26-20, after a three-pointer from Perreault with 1:43 remaining. WPI refused to let Babson pull away, as Kelly answered with a layup, and Fullem saw two trips to the free-throw line, trimming the deficit to just two. The Beavers tacked on one more point before the buzzer, heading into halftime with a 27-24 advantage.

Kelly led with nine points and a steal for the Engineers. Allyn contributed five points and an assist, and Dasaro and Fullem each added four points and five boards. For the Beavers, Perreault and Carlo each tallied five points, each shooting 2-2 of field goals in the first half. Six other Beavers notched points, with Emily Flynn (Hanover, MA) grabbing six rebounds.

WPI narrowed the gap to just one after Megan Stone (Hanson, MA) weaved through the defense for a smooth layup. Babson responded with back-to-back field goals, stretching their lead to 34-29 with 5:47 left in the period. The Engineers answered right back as Allyn and Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) each finished at the rim, once again bringing WPI within one. But Babson's Flynn kept the Beavers in front, knocking down both free throws to make it 36-33 with 4:18 to play.

The teams continued to trade baskets until WPI broke through, reclaiming the lead for the first time in over 11 minutes. A clutch steal by Fullem set up a contested layup from Allyn, putting the Engineers ahead. However, Babson struck back just before the buzzer, as Samantha Reale (North Attleboro, MA) stole the ball and converted a layup, giving the Beavers a 43-41 edge heading into the final quarter.

The final quarter opened with a flurry of action as both teams traded baskets. Kiara-Simone Davis (Coral Springs, FL) found her rhythm from deep, sinking two of her three attempts from beyond the arc. Her second three-pointer pushed Babson's lead back to five, 51-46, with 4:55 remaining. Fullem closed the gap to three after a jumper, but Mollica and Davis knocked down a trey a piece extending Babson's lead to nine, its largest of the game, at 57-48 with just 2:45 left on the clock.

WPI ignited a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to just two at 59-57 with under a minute to play. Allyn sparked the surge with a smooth pull-up jumper and a perfect trip to the free-throw line, while Giansiracusa completed a clutch three-point play to bring the Engineers within striking distance.

With 34.2 seconds left, WPI forced a jump ball, but possession stayed with Babson. Carlo stepped to the line with 28.2 seconds remaining, hitting one of two free throws to make it 60-57 in favor of the visitors. On the ensuing possession, Dasaro drained a corner jumper with 16.7 seconds left, trimming Babson's lead to just one. Carlo had another trip to the line, again going 1-for-2, giving the Beavers a 61-59 edge with 13.7 seconds to go.

WPI had a chance to tie it, but Allyn's layup just missed the mark. Perreault went to the line with 4.3 seconds remaining and hit ///, and though WPI had one final possession, they couldn't get a clean shot off before time expired. Babson held on for a thrilling 62-59 victory.

Allyn led the Engineers with 18 points and two assists. Giansiracusa and Dasaro each added 10 points, with Dasaro grabbing eight boards. Kelly chipped in with nine points and four assists, and Fullem contributed eight points and seven rebounds. For the Beavers, Mollica tallied 11 points and four assists. Davis netted nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc, while Reale and Perreault each contributed eight points, with Reale notching two steals and Perreault having the lone block of the game. Flynn grabbed a game-high 10 boards and added four points.

Babson made 23-of-45 (51.1%) of field goals while limiting WPI to shooting just 39.7% (23-of-58). The Beavers held the advantage in made treys, 8-3, and second chance points, 28-20.

Both squads continue with NEWMAC play next Wednesday at 7pm. WPI travels down Park Ave to face Clark while Babson is on the road to battle Wellesley,

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