WPI 51, Smith 41
Box Score
Worcester, MA --- A mighty defensive struggle ruled the day at
WPI's Harrington Auditorium, as the host Engineers defeated Smith
51-41 in a NEWMAC contest on Saturday afternoon.
Paced by Meghan Pajonas' (Bristol, CT) game-high
18 points, the Crimson and Gray (11-5 overall, 4-1 NEWMAC) were
able to dig themselves out of a seven-point deficit late in the
first half to cut the Pioneer lead to three (22-19) at the
half.
Pajonas scored 11 straight points for the Engineers, starting with
four consecutive free throws. She also stole an errant pass in
front of the WPI bench and brought it all the way back to the hole
for a layup to make it 20-19 Smith before Sarah
Posnak (Coral Gables, FL) hit a jumper with 34 seconds
left in the first half.
WPI took firm control of the game midway through the second half,
as it put together a 14-2 run highlighted by Natasha
Deschene's (Presque Isle, ME) long 3-pointer as the shot
clock expired. A minute prior, Deschene and Caitlin
Macko (Cromwell, CT) hooked up on multiple bounce passes
with Macko finishing a layup following a steal in front of the
Smith bench.
Smith used a 12-2 run early in the first half to take the lead from
WPI, with Posnak hitting two treys as the Pioneers bounced out to a
13-7 lead. Back-to-back trifectas by Kate Maki
(Fitchburg, MA) helped WPI knot the score, but Smith then scored
the next seven points before both teams were iced for the next 4:25
before Pajonas took over.
Emily Allietta (Sandwich, MA) netted 11 points for
the Engineers. Michelle Perry (Pelham, NH) played
well in the pivot for WPI, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.
Posnak led the Pioneers (1-15, 0-5) with 17 points, including five
3-pointers and three assists. Helena Charron
(Portland, ME) added eight points and Courtney
Parker (Berlin, MD) shared game-high honors with seven
rebounds.
Both teams will return to action on Wednesday. WPI will face Babson
at 7:30pm in the middle game of a three-game homestand while Smith
travels to Springfield for a 7pm contest.
