WPI 58, Wheaton 56

Box Score

Norton, MA --- Serena Dubois' (Bangor, Maine) traditional three-point play with 2.3 seconds to go in the game gave visiting WPI the winning margin in a 58-56 triumph in NEWMAC women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Wheaton. Dubois poured in a team-high 19 points as the Engineers survived a back-and-forth battle to remain in first place in the conference. WPI raises its record to 18-5 on the season and 10-1 in NEWMAC play. Wheaton slips to 13-10, 7-4 in the conference.

Wheaton led from the opening tip, scoring the game's first five points and opening up an 11-5 advantage in the first five minutes. The Lyons remained ahead throughout the first half, leading by as many as nine points. The Engineers clawed their way back into the game late in the half, however. A Melissa Kuhn (Stoughton, Mass.) blocked three-point attempt followed by her own three on the other end brought WPI to within one at 29-28 with 1:31 to go. A pair of Kaileen Selen (Worcester, Mass.) free throws gave WPI its first lead of the game at 30-29 with 1:08 left, but Wheaton's Jenny Champney (Bedford, Mass.) converted a layup on the offensive end en route to a team-high 10 first-half points, helping the Lyons to take a 31-30 lead into intermission.

The game was tightly contested throughout the second half, with neither team opening up more than a four-point advantage. Both Wheaton and WPI traded baskets throughout the second frame, as the half featured four ties and an astounding 14 lead changes. Dubois dropped in a layup with just 2:04 to play to give WPI a slim 55-54 lead, but Wheaton's Krystin Hickey's (Manchester, N.H.) free throws with 1:17 to go helped the Lyons regain the advantage heading into the game's final minute.

Following a WPI turnover, Wheaton took over with the lead and 45 seconds to go, but WPI buckled down on defense, forcing the Lyons to turn the ball over as the shot clock expired. The Engineers took over down one, with 15 seconds to run their final play. WPI worked the ball around the perimeter, when Elle Fontaine (Franklin, Mass.) found a wide-open Dubois on the left block for the go-ahead layup with 2.3 seconds left. Following Dubois' free throw, Wheaton inbounded and moved the ball up the floor, but a last-gasp shot by Hickey rattled out, giving WPI the hard-earned victory.

Fontaine added 16 points for the Engineers, 10 coming in the first half. Selen chipped in with nine, while Natasha Deschene (Presque Isle, Maine) had a good all-around game with seven points, nine rebounds and four first-half assists.

Champney led all scorers with 21 points, and was the only Lyon in double figures. She added a team-high eight rebounds. Lauren Gosline (Peterborough, N.H.) added nine for Wheaton, while Hickey and Andrea Bailey (Needham, Mass.) each contributed seven in a losing effort.

Both teams will take to the court again on Wednesday for their next games. Wheaton heads north to Cambridge to take on MIT at 8pm, while WPI returns home to face Babson in a 5:30pm tilt. The WPI game will be the first game of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader, as WPI holds it's annual Pink Zone festivities. Pink Zone is sponsored by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, bringing awareness and generating donations for breast cancer research at college campuses across the nation. For more information on Wednesday's events, check out the preview of Pink Zone.

Story by Ray Cotrufo '98 - WPI Athletics Department