New London, CT --- Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) equaled her career best of 22 points as WPI women's basketball outscored Coast Guard in all four quarters en route to a commanding 65-44 NEWMAC road victory over the host Bears on Saturday afternoon in Roland Hall.
 
With the victory, the Engineers boost their record to 10-13 on the season and 3-6 in conference play.  It was the second road win this week for the Crimson and Gray, which had upset Emerson on Wednesday and WPI is now in a four-way tie for the eighth and final NEWMAC Tournament spot with Clark, Wellesley and Wheaton and a game behind seventh place Coast Guard.   WPI will play both Wellesley and Wheaton next week to close out the regular season.  Coast Guard drops to 15-8 overall and 4-5 in NEWMAC action. 
 
Coast Guard came out strong, crashing the boards with three offensive rebounds on the opening possession but couldn't convert. The Bears regrouped on their next trip down the court, as Dorothy Stotts (Edina, MN) knocked down the first basket of the game.

WPI claimed its first lead at 5-4 when Giansiracusa buried a three with 6:27 left in the first quarter. Megan Stone (Hanson, MA) followed with a layup, and Shannon Reno (Millbury, MA) added another trey to stretch the lead. Coast Guard responded as Kelly Hagerty (Emerald Isle, NC) sank back-to-back buckets, cutting the deficit to 10-8 with just over five minutes to play.

The teams went back and forth the rest of the quarter, and as time wound down, Stotts drilled a three to bring Coast Guard within one. At the buzzer, WPI held a slim 16-15 lead heading into the second quarter.

Hagerty opened the second quarter with a quick bucket, briefly putting the Bears back on top. However, WPI responded right away as Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, CT) converted a three-point play to reclaim the lead with 8:50 left in the half.

The hosts answered with a three-point play from Julia Mann (Central Square, NY), giving them their final lead of the game before WPI took control. The Engineers erupted for a 9-0 run, with Stone leading the charge with four points, pushing the visitors ahead 28-20 with 3:33 remaining. Coast Guard fought to stay in it, and Glory Blethen (Boothbay, ME) knocked down a jumper in the closing moments to trim the deficit to five. At the break, WPI held a 30-25 advantage heading into the second half.
Giansiracusa tallied 11 points for WPI in the first half, with Stone and Kelly each contributing eight points. Hagerty recorded eight points for Coast Guard, with Blethen adding six points, and Mann and Stotts each scoring five points.
 
Hagerty wasted no time cutting the deficit to three with a layup to open the second half, but WPI's Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA) quickly answered, banking in a three just eight seconds later to push the lead back to 33-27 with 9:14 left in the third. Stone then took over, scoring five straight points with a three-pointer and a jumper, giving the Engineers their first double-digit lead of the game at 40-30 with 6:55 remaining in the quarter.

As the third quarter wound down, WPI continued to build momentum. Giansiracusa powered through for a three-point play and added a layup, while Allyn capped off the quarter with a layup with seconds to go, sending the Engineers into the final frame with a commanding 49-34 lead.

Coast Guard's Olivia Wright (Midlothian, VA) opened the fourth quarter with a smooth floater and later added a three-pointer and a layup, keeping the Bears in the fight. Meanwhile, WPI answered with buckets from Giansiracusa and Stone, bringing the score to 53-41 with 6:10 left to play.

Stotts knocked down a jumper for the Bears with 6:01 remaining, but it would stand as their final field goal of the game. From there, WPI dominated down the stretch, closing on a commanding 12-1 run, with Kelly leading the charge with six points. When the final buzzer sounded, WPI secured a decisive 65-44 victory.

Giansiracusa led WPI by matching her career-best of 22 points and added seven rebounds. Kelly stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, seven boards, five assists, two steals and a block. Stone notched 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the court, while Allyn had seven points, two steals and three blocks. For Coast Guard, Stotts and Hagerty each totaled 11 points, with Stotts adding two steals and Hagerty blocking one shot. Blethen tallied eight points, 10 rebounds and three assists, while Wright added seven points all in the fourth quarter.

WPI shot 45.6% (26-of-57) of field goals while limiting Coast Guard to just 16-of-55 (29.1%) on the game. The Engineers held an advantage, 34-18, in points in the paint while the Bears saw a slight edge, 18-13, in points off turnovers.
 
Both squads continue with NEWMAC action next game on the road. Coast Guard visits Salve Regina for a Wednesday competition at 7pm, while WPI closes out the regular season at Wheaton for a 1pm matchup on Saturday.
 
Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25