WORCESTER --- In a defensive slugfest that went down to the wire, Clark held off a late rally from WPI to claim a 55-52 victory in the championship game of the 44th annual Worcester City Tournament on Saturday evening at the Kneller Center.
With the result, WPI dropped to 1-1 on the season as Clark improved to 2-0 as the Cougars claimed their third straight Worcester City Tournament Championship title in the fourth consecutive matchup between both squads.
Junior Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA) led the Engineers with 10 points, including a pair of third-quarter three-pointers that helped the Crimson and Gray claw back within striking distance. Ava Hyams (Kearny, NJ) pulled down 10 rebounds on the night and added four points, while senior Megan Stone (Hanson, MA) dished out a team-high four assists to go with six boards.
Clark raced out to a 16-11 lead after the first quarter behind a pair of early triples and extended its cushion to 38-23 at halftime following a 22-point second period fueled by defensive pressure that forced 14 WPI turnovers. The Engineers responded after the break with a 16-5 run, as Allyn connected from deep and Leila Nielsen (New York, NY) and Allison Fullem (Underhill, VT) contributed from the line to cut the deficit to single digits.
Down 49-39 heading into the fourth, Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) buried a jumper from the elbow and Kayla Goldrick (Attleboro, MA) added a fast-break layup to trim the margin to three with under a minute left, but Clark's free throws down the stretch sealed the result.
WPI shot 36% from the field and 71% from the line, out-rebounding Clark 39-37 but finishing minus-eight in turnovers (25-17). The Cougars finished with 20 field goals and 14 steals, using their pressure to generate 25 points off turnovers.
All-Tournament team honors were awarded to Anna Maria's Arianna Gonzalez, Worcester State's Lena Waldron, WPI's Giansiracusa, Clark's Cyriah Coleman and Kailey Rios in addition to recognition as the Tournament MVP.
The Crimson and Gray return to action next Saturday when the Engineers head to nationally-ranked Bates on November 15th at 3pm!
