South Hadley, MA --- A career-high 22 points from
Ava Hyams (Kearny, NJ) paced the WPI women's basketball team in a wire-to-wire victory, as the Engineers topped Mount Holyoke 60-49 on Wednesday night inside Howard Gym. WPI improves to 12-8 overall and 3-3 in conference play, while the Lyons fall to 4-16 (0-6 NEWMAC).
Hyams finished with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting and went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line, while also adding nine rebounds and three assists.
Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT) added 13 points, while
Emmy Allyn (Rutland, MA) finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
Megan Stone (Hanson, MA) contributed seven points and five assists, and
Leila Nielsen (New York, NY) totaled six points, six rebounds, and three steals.
Mount Holyoke was paced by
Taryn White (Alexandria, VA) with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Sofia Francisco (Boston, MA) and
Ania McMichael (Glastonbury, CT) each scored 10 points, and
Justine Dessureault (Trois-Rivières, Quebec) added seven points and seven rebounds.
WPI built an early advantage by outscoring Mount Holyoke 21-9 in the first quarter. Hyams scored seven points in the opening frame, while Nielsen added six on a pair of three-pointers, as the Engineers built a double-digit lead.
The Engineers' lead grew to 19 points midway through the second quarter, as WPI opened the period on a 13-6 run. Mount Holyoke closed the half with a 10-0 run, but WPI still carried a 34-25 lead into the break.
A Giansiracusa three opened the scoring in the third quarter, and WPI pushed the margin back to 19 points at 49-30. The Lyons trimmed the deficit late in the period, but the Engineers led 49-33 entering the fourth.
Mount Holyoke outscored WPI 16-11 in the final period, closing within 49-39 with just over five minutes remaining. WPI answered with steady free-throw shooting down the stretch to secure the win.
For the game, WPI shot 44.2 percent from the field and went 18-of-24 at the free-throw line, while holding a 33-27 rebounding edge.
The Engineers continue NEWMAC action on Saturday, February 7, traveling to Salve Regina for a 2pm tip. The Lyons next play Saturday at MIT at 1pm.
