WORCESTER -- Fueled by 10 fourth-quarter points from Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT), WPI women's basketball outscored Clark 22-5 in the final stanza as the Engineers defeated the Cougars 53-33 in the regular season finale Saturday afternoon inside Harrington Auditorium.
 
WPI moves to 15-10 overall and 6-5 in NEWMAC play following the result, while Clark slips to 17-8 on the season with an 8-3 conference mark. The two teams will meet again Wednesday evening in a NEWMAC Tournament quarterfinal contest on the other side of Park Ave., as the third-seeded Cougars will host the sixth-seeded Crimson and Gray.
 
Prior to tipoff, WPI honored its seniors in a pregame Senior Day ceremony, recognizing Kayleigh Carson (Seymour, CT), Corinn Ouellette (Trumbull, CT), Megan Stone (Hanson, MA), and Delaney MacPhetres (Amherst, MA) for their dedication and contributions to the program.
 
WPI was led by Giansiracusa, who scored a game-high 18 points while adding five rebounds and three steals in a strong all-around effort. Ava Hyams (Kearny, NJ) and Kayla Goldrick (Attleboro, MA) each chipped in seven points, with Hyams also grabbing six rebounds, while Leila Nielsen (New York, NY) added six points behind a pair of three-pointers. On the glass, Stone made her presence felt with five rebounds — including four on the offensive end — helping WPI create key second-chance opportunities.
 
As a team, the Engineers delivered a dominant defensive performance, holding Clark to just 24.5 percent shooting and a 1-for-20 mark from beyond the arc. WPI controlled the boards with a decisive 47-28 rebounding advantage and shot efficiently from long range themselves, knocking down seven three-pointers at a 41.2 percent clip while converting 14-of-19 (73.7%) free throws.
 
Clark was led offensively by Atiya Watson (Los Angeles, CA), who finished with a team-high 12 points while also adding four rebounds to pace the Cougars' attack. Emma Drefs (Ridgecrest, CA) and Olivia Shipley (Castleton, VT) each contributed six points to provide secondary scoring, while Kailey Rios (Hesperia, CA) and Cyriah Coleman (Los Angeles, CA) chipped in five points apiece. Coleman also led Clark on the glass with five rebounds as the Cougars worked to generate second-chance opportunities.
 
More to come - Visit www.athletics.wpi.edu