WORCESTER -- Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) led all players with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA) chipped in with 13 points to power WPI women's basketball to an important 53-43 NEWMAC victory over visiting Coast Guard on Wednesday evening inside Harrington Auditorium.
 
With the win, the Engineers improve to 13-9 overall and even their conference mark at 4-4. The Crimson and Gray sit alone in sixth place in the 12-team league and have now defeated two of the teams currently part of a three-way tie that they have already faced (Emerson and Coast Guard), with Wellesley still remaining on the schedule next week. The top eight teams qualify for the NEWMAC Tournament, which begins two weeks from tonight.
 
Coast Guard falls to 11-11 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
 
Giansiracusa was efficient throughout, shooting 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and converting both of her free throw attempts. The junior collected all seven of her rebounds on the defensive glass, dished out five assists, and committed just one turnover in 33 minutes of action.
 
Allyn went 6-of-9 from the floor on her way to 14 points and led all players with a game-high four steals. Ava Hyams (Kearny, NJ) added eight points and six rebounds, while Leila Nielsen (New York, NY) filled the stat sheet with five rebounds, four points, two assists, and two blocks.
 
For Coast Guard, Dorothy Stotts (Edina, MN) tallied 15 points to go along with three rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. Elliot Geer (Jay, OK) contributed six points, five boards, and two assists for the Bears.
 
The WPI defense set the tone early, holding Coast Guard to just 1-for-14 shooting (7.1%) from the field in the first quarter en route to a 10–3 lead after the opening 10 minutes.

The Engineers got nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from Allyn and eight from Giansiracusa in the first 20 minutes. Despite committing nine first-half turnovers, WPI did not allow Coast Guard to convert any of those miscues into points. Meanwhile, the hosts turned five Coast Guard turnovers into six points and carried a 23–18 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
 
Second half recap later at www.athletics.wpi.edu.
 
WPI begins a two-game road swing on Saturday, traveling to Smith for a 2pm matchup with the No. 6 Pioneers. Coast Guard returns home the same day to host MIT in a 1pm contest.