Women's Basketball's Late Rally Falls Short in 46-45 Loss to Clark

Clark 46, WPI 45

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Worcester, MA --- Tournament MVP Sarah Roderique's (Oakland, ME) free throw with 16.9 seconds to go lifted defending champion Clark University to a thrilling 46-45 win over WPI in the championship game of the Worcester City Tournament. It was Clark's 19th title in the 28-year history of the event, as the Cougars took the championship by winning a rematch of last year's tournament final.

WPI had a shot at the end to win the tournament, but Natasha Deschene's (Presque Isle, ME) contested 18-foot jumper rattled out as time ran out on the Engineers.

Roderique dropped in 11 points while adding nine rebounds and four assists to guide Clark (2-0) to the tournament crown. Ivori Aiken (Harlem, NY) led the Cougars with 13 points while Michelle Chambers (Bronx, NY) contributed six points off the bench. Senior Sara Hagstrom (Yarmouth, ME) also earned all-tournament team honors after dishing out eight assists on the weekend.

Defense was the theme of the night, as the teams combined for the lowest score in a championship game in the 28-year history of the Worcester City Tournament. Clark struggled from the line, sinking 44.4% (11-25) of their free throws on the night, allowing WPI to stay in the game despite shooting only 27.7% from the field.

Clark led for most of the game, but a 3-pointer by all-tournament selection Elle Fontaine (Franklin, MA) sparked an 11-1 WPI run midway through the second half that gave the Engineers a four point lead. Clark responded with an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to regain the lead. WPI all-tournament Serena DuBois' (Bangor, ME) basket with 51 seconds remaining knotted the score at 45 before Roderique's late free-throw gave Clark the hard-fought victory. DuBois was key to the Engineers' attack, registering a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. WPI had 11 second-chance points and 26 points on 30 Clark turnovers to key the comeback bid.

Also earning all-tournament honors were MaryLynn Skarzenski (Woodbridge, NJ) and Alexis George (Worcester, MA) of Worcester State. Earlier in the day, Nichols defeated Worcester State 81-61 in the consolation game.

Both teams are back on the court on Tuesday evening. The Crimson and Gray entertains Southern Vermont at 7:30pm while Clark travels to Providence, RI to take on Johnson & Wales.