Worcester Mass. – The Clark University women's basketball team was edged out by local rival WPI, 67-54, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) duel on the road on Wednesday night.

The Basics

Score: Engineers 67, Cougars 54

Records: Clark University (4-13, 0-2 NEWMAC) | WPI College (11-5, 2-0 NEWMAC)

How it Happened

Junior Hannah Favaloro (Blackstone, Mass.) posted a team-high 17 points while polishing off a double-double with 11 rebounds to go with one steal and one block. Sophomore Emily Sifferlen (North Andover, Mass.) posted 12 points while handing out three assists and classmate Hallie Johnson (Princeton, Mass.) put up 10 points to round out the double-figure scorers for the Cougars.

WPI was led by Emily Raynowska who tallied a team-leading 14 points off the bench, finishing as one of three bench scorers in double-figures for the Engineers, while corralling seven rebounds. Alana Keating led all starters for the host with 11 points while matching the game-high of five assists. 

Clark held WPI without a bucket throughout nearly the opening three minutes before a three from Alex Scariati gave the Engineers a one-point lead. A back-and-forth first quarter ensued as Julia Beebe (Andover, Conn.) knocked down one of two triples in the frame, giving the Cougars a 7-6 lead with 3:44 to go in the stanza. Both teams were within two points of each other throughout the entire quarter as the ten minutes came to an end with an 11-11 score.

After trailing at the half, 34-18, the Cougars picked up the pace while keeping WPI off the scoreboard in the early goings of the third quarter. Clark gained some momentum as five points apiece from Benbow and Sifferelen helped fuel an offensive burst, leading a 16-6 scoring run with 2:30 remaining to close the deficit to five points (40-35).

WPI pushed the lead back up to double-digits to start the fourth quarter as triples from Keating and Kara O'Neil highlighted an eight-point unanswered stretch. The Cougars were able to get the gap back down to eight points on a lay-up from Favaloro with 2:37 left in regulation, but a 7-for-7 display at the charity stripe in the final minutes helped the Engineers hold on to the 67-54 victory.

Clark finished 21-of-62 from the field (33.9%) while connecting on just 4-of-14 from three-point range in the contest. WPI knocked down 24-of-70 from the field (34.3%) while hitting on 6-of-21 chances from beyond the arc (28.6%). The Engineers led all scoring off the bench by a 42-12 clip, giving the host the edge on the scoreboard.

Up Next

The Cougars return to the Kneller Athletic Center on Saturday, January 25 when they host MIT for a NEWMAC tilt. Prior to the game, the team will be collecting lightly used coats as part of the Keep Worcester Warm Cougars Coat Drive.