WORCESTER -- Adrianna Niles (Tewksbury, MA) and Shannon Reno (Millbury, MA) both set new career bests in score as the WPI women's basketball team used an 18-0 run spanning the first two quarters to transform an early double-digit deficit into a lead it would relinquish as the Engineers opened the 2023-24 season with a 59-42 win over Anna Maria in the opening round of the 42nd annual Worcester City Tournament hosted by Worcester State.
 
WPI, the eight-time defending tournament champions, have now won 17 straight WCT contests and will look for its ninth straight city title tomorrow night at 7pm against NEWMAC rival Clark (1-0).  The Cougars reached the championship game for the first time since 2015 by rallying from seven points down at the start of the fourth quarter to defeat the host Lancers 72-64 in the first semifinal.  Anna Maria (0-2) and Worcester State (0-2) will meet Saturday at 5pm in the consolation game.
 
Niles established a new career-scoring high with 17 points.  The junior drained 7-of-11 shots from the floor and canned 3-of-4 from downtown to eclipse her previous career-best of 15 points set her rookie campaign on December 31st, 2021 against Susquehanna.  Reno stuffed the stat sheet with career-highs of eight points and six rebounds while equaling her career best in assists with four.
 
After missing on its initial shot, Anna Maria started the game on an 8-0 run after hitting its next three tries, including a pair of 3-pointers.  The AMCATS seemed poised for the upset as its lead ballooned to double digits at 15-5 late in the opening quarter but Reno and Ally McMorrow (Quincy, MA) combined for eight points over the final 2:06 to trim the lead to two at 15-13 at the end of the first.
 
The spurt continued in the second quarter as Crimson and Gray defense took center stage, forcing Anna Maria to misfire on its first nine attempts for the field (11 straight overall) and commit six turnovers (nine through the run) during the impressive stretch.  WPI led by as many as eight (23-15) at the end of the run and took a 25-19 advantage into the locker room at the break.   
 
The WPI offense shined in the third quarter as five different Boynton Hillers scored baskets on their first six possessions to set the tone for a 25-point quarter that propelled the Engineers to an advantage that would not shrink to single digits the rest of the way.  
 
Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) and Allison Fullem (Underhill, VT) joined McMorrow with seven points.  Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, CT) added six boards as the Engineers held a decisive 49-27 edge on the glass.  WPI was also opportunistic, parlaying 24 AMCATS turnovers into 23 points.
 
Marinique Reddin (Tampa, FL) led all players with 19 points for Anna Maria while Chloe Giordano (Goffstown, NH) and Sharayha Scott-Cummins (Worcester, MA) both registered five points for the AMCATS.