Worcester, Mass., January 6, 2007 - Emily Allietta (Sandwich, Mass.) netted a career-best 30 points to help the WPI women’s basketball team win its fifth consecutive game with a 73-64 victory over visiting Springfield College in the first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game of the season for both teams on Saturday afternoon.

The victory was WPI’s first over SC, the defending conference champions, since the NEWMAC was formed in 1998-99, ending a ten-game skid.

After the two teams exchanged hoops early on, WPI took control with a 13-3 run that saw four different Engineers scoring. Never trailing in the tightly-contested ballgame, the Crimson and Gray led by as many as 15 points early in the second half following Alietta’s third trifecta of the game.

With Springfield making a spirited comeback midway through the second half with a 10-0 run to cut the WPI lead to one, an Allietta trey with 12:56 left gave the Engineers a four-point cushion. Two minutes later, Meghan Pajonas (Bristol, Conn.; 21 points) was fouled as she went to the hole, completing the old fashioned three-point play to give WPI a six-point, 49-43 lead.

Led by Allietta’s seven three-pointers, the Engineers (8-4) were able to hold the Pride (4-7) at bay in the latter stages of the contest.

Freshman Kaileen Selen (Worcester, Mass.) provided a spark off the bench for WPI, contributing a game-high seven steals, six points and four assists. Karen Krasko (North Branford, Con.) shared team-high honors with Selen with four assists to go along with six points on the day.

Four different Pride reached double figures despite the loss. Junior guard Christine Cotter (Stoughton, Mass.) led the team with a season-high 25 points, while sophomore forward Corey Finch (Hanover, Pa.) had 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior guard Tara McCarthy (Bristol, R.I.) followed with 11 points, and sophomore center Lauren O’Connor (Valhalla, N.Y.) finished with 10.

For Finch, it was her third double-double thus far on the season. The sophomore has had a very solid first 11 games of the season, averaging 11.5 points per game (fourth on team) and 10.0 rebounds per game (second on team).

SC will next play at Mount Holyoke College on Tuesday night, January 9th, in a 7:00 p.m. rematch of last season's NEWMAC Tournament title game.

published: 01/06/2007