Wellesley Falls to WPI in NEWMAC Semifinals
BABSON, Mass. -- Making their first appearance in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Semifinals since the 2001-02 season, the Wellesley College basketball team lost a hard-fought 56-46 game to second-seeded WPI. With the loss, Wellesley (9-16) sees its spectacular postseason run come to an end. The sixth-seeded Blue stunned third-seeded Springfield College in the Quarterfinals on Wednesday to earn a spot in the semifinal round.
Wellesley was led by first-year Becca Kimball (Weston, MA) who dropped 16 points and nine rebounds, while senior Katie Martore (Great Falls, VA) had a solid performance in the last game of her collegiate career, tallying eight points, four steals and two assists. Rounding out the offense for the Blue, Robyn Burleson (Seattle, WA) recorded seven points, while Malia Maier (Torrance, CA) picked up six points and four steals, and Laura Barrett (Dobbs Ferry, NY) added six points.
Sophomore guard Lauren Hannmann (East Greenbush, NY) knocked down three clutch three-pointers midway through the second half and shot 6-of-10, including a 3-for-5 clip from beyond the arc, to finish with 15 points for WPI. The sophomore guard also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and blocked a pair of shots. Junior forward Elle Fontaine (Franklin, MA) added 14 points, five boards, and two blocks in the win, while senior forward Brittany McNally (Mapleville, RI) tossed in nine points. Junior guard Melissa Kuhn (Stoughton, MA) and sophomore guard Baillie McNally (Mapleville, RI) each added three assists for the Engineers, who shot 38.6 percent (17-44) from the field but made up for it with a stellar 94.1 percent clip (16-for-17) from the free throw line.
With raucous crowds turning out for both sides at the neutral site, the first half featured a frenetic pace with the lead changing hands five times. WPI eventually closed the period with a brief 6-2 run to take a 29-24 lead into the break. Fontaine led a balanced Engineer scoring attack with eight points in the opening session, while Hannmann pulled down seven boards in the first 20 minutes. Maier and senior guard Laura Barrett (Dobbs Ferry, NY.) each led Wellesley with six points at the half.
A three-pointer by Fontaine gave the Engineers a 36-29 lead with 16:23 left in the second half, but Wellesley came storming back with an 8-0 run to take what would prove to be its only lead of the second half. Martore sparked the run with a trifecta, Kimball followed with a conventional three-point play, and sophomore forward Robyn Burleson (Seattle, WA) drained a jumper that gave the Blue a 37-36 advantage with 11:49 left to play.
Following a jumper by Fontaine that moved WPI back in front, Stearns sank one of two from the line to tie the game at 38-38 with 8:27 remaining. That set up a long-distance show by Hannmann, who drained three consecutive three-pointers during a personal 9-2 run that gave the Engineers a 47-40 advantage. Her first trifecta came from the right corner at the eight-minute mark, the second came from the left wing at 7:26, and, after Kimball hit a lay-up for Wellesley, Hannmann's third from beyond the arc came from the right side as WPI built a seven-point advantage with 6:18 left in the game.
That burst would prove to be the difference in the game, as the Engineers' lead never fell below five the rest of the way. Helping WPI's cause was its brilliant free throw shooting, as the Engineers knocked down nine of their 10 attempts in the final 3:10 to hold on for the eventual 56-46 victory.
WPI will now take on top-seeded Babson in Sunday's championship game. The Beavers will be looking to defend their 2009 NEWMAC crown against the Engineers, who gave Babson its two closest conference games of the regular season. The Beavers won the first meeting between the two squads, 68-58, and then took the second showdown, 59-49. This will be WPI's fifth appearance in the conference finals and its second of the NEWMAC era.