WPI was trailing 54-49 when Kaileen Selen (Worcester, MA) drilled a three-pointer with just over a minute remaining. Meghan Pajonas (Bristol, CT) cut the margin to one when she canned 1-of -2 free throws with 26 seconds left then tied the game when she again hit 1-of-2 shots from the charity strip with 11 seconds remaining. The Engineers looked like they were going to force overtime until they were whistled for a foul in the corner with 1.9 seconds left.
Kristi Baranowski (Liverpool, NY) paced Rensselaer with 15 points on the afternoon while Elizabeth Barker (Springfield, MA) tallied 13 points to go along with a team-high 11 rebounds. Coleman ended the contest with seven points, five boards and a pair of steals.
Pajonas, who dodged first half foul trouble, scored 16 of her game-best 18 points in the second stanza for WPI. The senior co-captain added a game-high 11 rebounds and four steals. Selen knocked down a career-best 16 points, including four three-pointers, and center Michelle Perry (Pelham, NH) equaled her career-standard in blocks with four.
WPI will return to action on Wednesday when they travel to nationally ranked Brandies for a 7pm contest. Rensselaer heads home after a three-game road trip for a 6pm Tuesday match-up with Russell Sage.
Newspaper Box Score Rensselaer vs WPI 12/3/06 2:00pm at Worcester, MA At Worcester, MA RENSSELAER 55, WPI 54 RENSSELAER (1-3) Kristi Baranowski 6-13 3-4 15; Elizabeth Barker 6-8 1-3 13; Whitney Coleman 2-7 3-4 7; Destany Eagles 2-8 0-0 4; Tory Lyons 2-7 0-0 4; Caitlyn Charest 1-4 2-2 4; Kerry Hayes 1-4 1-2 3; Missy Jackman 1-3 0-2 3; Kristin Danbury 1-2 0-0 2; Brittney O'Neal 0-0 0-1 0; Mia Ross 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-56 10-18 55. WPI (3-3) Meghan Pajonas 6-11 6-8 18; Kaileen Selen 6-8 0-0 16; Caitlin Macko 1-7 3-4 6; Michele Perry 2-7 0-1 4; Natasha Deschene 1-5 2-2 4; Karen Krasko 1-3 0-0 2; Kate Maki 1-1 0-1 2; Amber Dangelo 1-3 0-0 2; Emily Allietta 0-9 0-0 0; Rachel Salvatori 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-54 11-16 54. Rensselaer.................... 34 21 - 55 WPI........................... 29 25 - 54 3-point goals-Rensselaer 1-4 (Missy Jackman 1-2; Destany Eagles 0-1; Caitlyn Charest 0-1), WPI 5-13 (Kaileen Selen 4-5; Caitlin Macko 1-3; Emily Allietta 0-5). Fouled out--Rensselaer-None, WPI-None. Rebounds-Rensselaer 41 (Elizabeth Barker 11), WPI 35 (Meghan Pajonas 11). Assists-Rensselaer 13 (Caitlyn Charest 3), WPI 14 (Emily Allietta 6). Total fouls-Rensselaer 20, WPI 19. A-150