Milton, MA --- Leila Nielsen (New York, NY) and Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA) each totaled 11 points and the WPI defense limited Curry to just five made basketball over the final three quarters as the Engineers went on the road and defeated the Colonels 52-43 in a non-conference women's baskets game on Saturday afternoon inside Katz Gymnasium.
WPI, which has now won two straight and three of four straight games, improves to 9-4 overall while Curry is now 1-12 on the season
Allyn accounted for two of the Crimson and Gray's four 3-pointers on the day, while Nielsen was one of the game's top shooters, draining 5-of-9 field goal attempts. Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) nearly joined the duo in double digit scoring with nine points while Allison Fullem (Underhill, VT) and Kayla Goldrick (Attleboro, MA) and Delaney MacPhetres (Amherst, MA) combined for 16 points off the bench for the visitors. Ava Hyams (Kearny, NJ) hauled in a team-best 10 rebounds as the Engineers enjoyed a 41-31 advantage on the glass.
Ella Palanza (Mansfield, MA) paced Curry with her first career double-double, tallying 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Kasey Reeves (Millbury, MA) chipped in with seven points and Sophie Hilbrunner (Waltham, MA) totaled five points and six boards.
The first quarter was headlines by four lead changes and four ties as both teams enjoyed their best offensive showing of the game with the guests holding a 15-14 edge after 10 minutes. Giansiracusa and Curry's Libby Harris (Foxboro, MA) traded 3-pointers in the opening 1:12 of the second stanza but it was the WPI defense that flexed the rest of the half, limiting the Colonels to 0-for-7 shooting and forcing four turnovers on the host's final 11 possessions of the half en route to taking a 27-20 advantage into the locker room at intermission.
The Engineers pushed the bulge to as high as 13 points at 36-23 on a pair of MacPhetres freebies midway through the third quarter. Curry clawed back to within five points on a pair of occasions over the final 3:21 but a Neilsen trifecta with just over two minutes remaining proved to be the dagger as the Crimson and Gray took the road triumph.
WPI closes out both a two-game road trip and its non-conference schedule on Tuesday, venturing to nationally-ranked Bowdoin. Tip-off versus the No. 10 Polar Bears is slated for 4pm. Curry returns to CNE action and closes out a three-game home stand on Wednesday, hosting Hartford at 5:30pm.
