WPI Tops Falcons in Non-Conference Play

Fitchburg, Mass.  – The Fitchburg State Women's Basketball team fell to the Engineers of WPI 59-31 on Wednesday evening at Parkinson Gymnasium.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 59, WPI  31
Records: Fitchburg State (1-6) | WPI (5-1)

How It Happened

1st Quarter

Sophomore Morgan Genness (Belgrade, Maine) hit a jumper for the Falcons to make it a 4-2 ballgame. The Engineers' reeled off 19 unanswered points to close out the frame. Grad student Melanie Presseau (Manchester, NH) and junior Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, Conn.) each potted seven points in the run.

2nd Quarter

Sophomore Allison Prentis (Mansfield, Mass.) opened the second quarter with a three-pointer in the corner, and classmates Stephanie Hart (Shirley, Mass.) and Rylie Harlow (Hanson, Mass.) hit jumpers to cut the deficit to 23-9 for the Green and Gold.  Back-to-back buckets from

Lisa Cristiano (Valhalla, NY) and Kelly forged WPI ahead 28-9. The Falcons answered with a jumper from newcomer Aliza Som (Lowell, Mass.) and a pair from the charity stripe from Ephemian Bailey (Maple Grove, Minn.). Cristiano closed out the quarter with four points for the 34-13 WPI lead at intermission.

3rd Quarter

WPI extended the lead (38-13) with a layup from Cristiano, however, the Falcons answered with a three-point play from Harlow and a fast-break layup from Juliana Davis (Templeton, Mass.).

Adrianna Niles (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Megan Stone (Hanson, Mass.) connected for the visitors and the Green and Gold ended the frame with a pair of free throws from Davis.

4th Quarter

Stephanie Hart opened the fourth quarter with five straight points for the Falcons before WPI countered with a trey from Niles. A steal and a layup from Shannon Reno (Millbury, Mass.) pushed the WPI lead to 57-27. Sophomore Delany Brown (Billerica, Mass.) closed out the scoring for the hosts with a lay-in, resulting in the 59-31 final.

Inside the Numbers

• Hart paced the Falcons with 7 points, four rebounds, and a block. Caileen Hurley (Whitman, Mass.) finished with a team-high 8 rebounds.
• For WPI, Kelly led the way with a game-high 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Niles chipped in with 10 points off the bench.
• The Engineers shot 26-for-55 (47.3%) from the field and (5-for-22) 22.7% from three-point range
• Fitchburg State finished 11-for-51 (21.6%) overall and (2-for-23) 8.7% for beyond the arc
• WPI held a 44-28 advantage on the boards
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Up Next

The Falcons return to action on Saturday afternoon when they host Lesley University at noon.