WORCESTER -- Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA) matched her career-high with 24 points, including six 3-pointers to lift WPI to an important 65-45 victory over Wellesley in a NEWMAC women's basketball contest played Wednesday evening in Harrington Auditorium. 
 
With their third straight win, the Engineers improve to 11-13 overall and 4-6 in NEWMAC action.  The Crimson and Gray moved into a tie for seventh place with Coast Guard entering the final day of conference play on Saturday with Clark, Wellesley and Wheaton all a game behind at 3-7.  Two of the five teams will earn the seventh and eighth seeds in next week's NEWMAC Tournament.  The Blue drops to 8-15 on the season and 3-7 in conference play. 
 
Prior to the game, WPI celebrated senior Caitlyn Dasaro (Fairfield, VT), student-assistant Adrianna Niles (Tewksbury, MA), who will return next year following an injury prior to the season as well as graduate students Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, CT) and Shannon Reno (Millbury, MA) in the final home game of 2024-25.
 
Wellesley came out strong with three quick baskets, jumping to a 6-2 lead, but WPI answered with a dominant 10-2 run. Allyn sparked the surge, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, including two shots from beyond the arc, to put WPI ahead 12-8 with 2:57 left in the first quarter. Wellesley fought back with a three-pointer from Stacy Chen (Minneapolis, MN) and a free throw by Ava Shane (Plano, TX) to even the score at 12-12. However, WPI regained control as Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) drained a three, followed by an Allyn layup. By the end of the first quarter, WPI held a 17-13 advantage, with Allyn leading the charge in double figures.
 
The Engineers widened the gap with a 9-2 run in the first three minutes of the second quarter. Reno got things started with a layup, followed by an Allyn three-pointer. Giansiracusa converted a three-point play, and Megan Stone (Hanson, MA) capped off the stretch with a free throw, extending WPI's lead to 26-15 with 7:31 left in the half. The Blue responded with a spark of its own, as Trinity Barrow (Evans, GA) knocked down a pull-up jumper and Caitlin Windross (Eastvale, CA) buried a three, trimming the deficit to six at 26-20 with 4:02 remaining. Neither team found the basket in the closing minutes, sending the game into halftime with the Crimson and Gray still ahead by six.
 
Allyn led the Engineers with half of the team's first half points (13) and added three assists and a steal. Giansiracusa tallied six points and a rebound, while Stone contributed one points and six boards. For the Blue, Chen notched seven points off 3-of-4 shooting from the field. Windross and Arla Hofer (Las Vegas, NV) each tallied four points, with Shane adding three points and grabbing four boards.
 
Stone got things going for the Engineers in the third quarter, but Barrow quickly answered with a layup for Wellesley. A scoring drought followed, lasting over two and a half minutes, before Kelly knocked down a clutch three-pointer at the 6:13 mark to push WPI's lead to 31-22. The teams traded baskets until WPI created more separation with back-to-back three-pointers from Giansiracusa and Allyn, extending the lead to 39-26 with 1:35 left in the quarter. The Blue fought back in the final moments, as Shane converted two consecutive layups, including one off a steal, while Barrow added an uncontested last second layup to cut the deficit to seven, 39-32, heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Crimson and Gray came out firing in the final quarter, opening with an 11-2 run to stretch its lead to 48-34 with just under seven minutes remaining. Allyn sparked the surge with a driving layup, followed by an Giansiracusa layup, another Allyn three-pointer, and a Dasaro layup to cap off the stretch. The teams then traded three-pointers with Chen connecting for Wellesley, while Ava Hyams (Kearny, NJ) answered for WPI. Hyams stayed hot, knocking down a pull-up jumper on the next possession to push the lead to 55-37 with 4:42 left. Allyn drained yet another three, and Stone added a layup to make it 60-40 with 2:44 to play. Shane scored inside for Wellesley, but Giansiracusa responded with another deep shot. Stone put the finishing touches on WPI's performance, while Windross sank a three in the final seconds for Wellesley. In the end, WPI secured a 65-45 victory.
 
Allyn led the charge for WPI with 24 points, tying her career-best, off of six three-pointers and adding six assists. Giansiracusa notched 16 points and six rebounds. Stone and Hyams each contributed seven points, with Stone grabbing seven boards. For the Blue, Shane tallied 13 points and six rebounds, and Chen joined double-digit scoring with 10 points. Windross added eight points and two rebounds, while Hofer and Barrow each scored six points.
 
The Engineers shot an impressive 49.1% (26-of-53) from the field while Wellesley made 17-of-42 (40.5%) on the game. WPI capitalized off an edge in points off turnovers, 24-11, and an advantage in bench points, 23-10.
 
Both teams will close out NEWMAC and regular season play on Saturday at 1pm. WPI travels to Wheaton while Wellesley hosts #10 Smith.
 
Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25