BABSON PARK, Mass.—Graduate student Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, Conn.) led all players with 17 points and six assists to help seventh-seeded WPI defeat second-seeded Babson, 60-54, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament quarterfinal on Wednesday night inside Staake Gymnasium. 

Babson, which had its seven-game winning streak snapped, ends the season at 16-10. The loss also snapped the Beavers' run of 15 consecutive NEWMAC semifinal appearances. WPI extended its winning streak to five and improved to 13-13 overall and will travel to sixth-seeded MIT on Friday at 7 p.m. 

Sophomore Samantha Reale (North Attleboro, Mass.) scored eight of her team-high 14 points in the fourth quarter, while senior Katelyn Mollica (Foxborough, Mass.) finished with 12 points and three steals. Fellow senior Emily Flynn (Hanover, Mass.) added 10 points and four rebounds in the loss. 

Kelly, who played all 40 minutes, was 8-of-8 at the free throws line, while senior Caitlyn Dasaro (Fairfield, Vt.) and sophomore Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, Conn.) both added 10 points for the Engineers. Giansiracusa also led all players with 11 rebounds in the win. 

WPI went up six on a jumper by Giansiracusa on the opening possession of the second quarter before the Green and White answered with consecutive three-pointers by junior Chloe Perreault (Danbury, Conn.) and Flynn. The Engineers, who went 8-of-8 from the free throw line in the period, got their lead back to five twice and used four straight points from Kelly to take a 29-23 advantage into the locker room. 

Dasaro started the third quarter with a three-point play to make it 32-23 before the Beavers responded with a 9-1 run that included a three-pointer by Mollica and four straight points from Flynn to pull within one midway through the stanza. Babson cut its deficit to just one at 38-37 at the 2:56 mark only to see WPI rattle off an 8-2 run to extend the margin back to 46-39 on a baseline jumper by sophomore Ava Hyams (Kearny, N.J.) with 9:15 remaining in the fourth. 

The Green and White got within three on a right-corner jumper by Perreault a minute later and consecutive layups by Mollica and Perreault sliced the Engineers' lead to 49-47 with 5:24 to play. Babson came up empty on its next three possessions and Kelly drilled a three-pointer form the top of the key following an offensive rebound to make it 52-47 at the 2:42 mark. 

Reale converted a three-point play to pull the Beavers within 54-52 with 1:49 to go, but graduate student Emmy Allyn (Rutland, Mass.) scored inside on the ensuing possession and Kelly went 2-of-2 at the charity stripe to push WPI's lead to 58-53 with 26 seconds remaining. 

Babson, which committed a season-low six turnovers, shot just 34.5 percent from the floor and were outrebounded 41-25 in the loss. The Engineers shot 39.4 percent from the floor but outscored the Beavers 23-8 at the free throw line. 

GAME NOTES
•    Babson is 41-27 all-time against WPI and 4-5 in NEWMAC Tournament play but had its seven-game winning streak in the series snapped on Wednesday night. 
•    Wednesday's setback was the first in the month of February and snapped the Beavers' streak of three straight NEWMAC championship game appearances. 
•    Mollica concludes her career as the program's all-time (218) and single-season (94) in three-point field goals. 
•    Prior to Wednesday, Babson had won eight straight games in the conference tournament quarterfinal round.