Hot second-half shooting sends Wheaton past WPI, 60-44, Lyons regain sole possession of first place in NEWMAC

February 16, 2008

WORCESTER, MA- Behind 59.1 percent second-half shooting and a 16-3 run in the final stanza that broke open a three-point game, the first-place Wheaton College women's basketball team knocked off Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 60-44 on Saturday in Harrington Auditorium. By virtue of the United States Coast Guard Academy's loss at Babson College, the Lyons took over sole possession of the top spot in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).

Wheaton, which is 10-1 in the league with two regular season games remaining, set a program record for conference victories and moved to 17-6 overall. The Lyons played in Harrington Auditorium for the first time since falling twice during the 2007 postseason. The Engineers are now 12-9 and 7-4.

The hosts pushed out to a 10-2 lead 5:28 into the contest, as the Lyons shot 0-of-7 with five turnovers during the first six-plus minutes. WPI helped itself with five offensive boards during that time, as Wheaton was able to score only on junior Krystin Hickey's (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) two free throws at 16:01.

Senior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) dropped in the Lyons' first bucket at 13:40, and Wheaton turned a 12-4 deficit into a three-point edge thanks to a 13-2 run during a 4:45 span, as Hickey's three at 7:56 made the score 17-14 in favor of the visitors. Sophomore Callie Schneider (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) was key during the run, coming off the bench to turn in three straight Wheaton baskets in a matter of 2:01.

With the Lyons holding a 19-17 edge, junior Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) played a hand in the final 10 Wheaton points of the half, helping the visitors take a 29-24 advantage into the locker room. Smith converted a fast-break hoop before canning a three to spark an 8-0 run. She assisted sophomore Stephanie Walker's (Somers, CT/Somers) long-range shot at 2:34 before dropping in a lay-up at 1:26, and the Lyons led 29-22 before WPI scored with 1:04 remaining.

WPI twice closed to within three points early in the second half, as the Engineers trailed just 31-28 at the 18:10 mark, but Wheaton went on a 16-3 run during a 7:07 span to go ahead by 16. The Lyons shot 8-of-10 in that time, hitting their first five attempts, while holding the hosts to 1-of-10 shooting and forcing four turnovers. Six different players scored during the visitors' big run, as Wheaton led by at least 10 points the rest of the way.

Smith had a game-high-tying 11 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Aitchison also had a strong all-around game with eight points, a game-best 10 rebounds, five steals and four assists. Hickey added nine points and eight boards, while sophomore Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) turned in seven points and five helpers without a turnover. Schneider finished 4-of-5 for a career-high eight points, and junior Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) canned a pair of three-pointers off the bench. Wheaton recorded 17 steals off 23 WPI turnovers.

Freshman reserve Elle Fontaine (Franklin, MA/Bishop Feehan) led the hosts with 11 points and seven rebounds, junior Natasha Deschene (Presque Isle, ME/Presque Isle) had nine points, eight rebounds and five steals, while sophomore Kaileen Selen (Worcester, MA/Saint Peter-Marian) notched nine points. WPI shot just 8-of-16 on free throw tries and 2-of-14 on three-point attempts.

The Lyons host their final two regular season contests, with the first coming on Wednesday against Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at 5:30 p.m. The game will be the front end of a doubleheader that involves Wheaton's men's team.

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