Box Score Box Score

NORTON, Mass. - Three players reached double figures in points, paced by Jenny Champney's 20 points, as the Wheaton women's basketball team defeated Rensselaer, 68-58, in the finals of the Wheaton New Year's Tournament.  The Engineers were led by Allison Connor, who had a team-best 21 points, and Whitney Coleman, who had 16 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

 Winners of four straight games, the Lyons improved to 6-5, while the Engineers fell to 4-6. In the consolation game, Husson (3-6) knocked off Elms (1-8), 80-59.

Named tournament MVP, senior Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) led the hosts with 15 points, a game-high nine assists and seven rebounds. Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford), who was all-tourney, had 20 points for the second time in as many days to go alongside six boards. Sophomore Gabbie DePalo (Rumson, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven Regional) notched a double-double with 12 points and a career-best 11 caroms.

For RPI, Connor (Hudson, NY/Hudson) was named to the all-tournament team after recording a game-high for points and pulling down seven boards. Coleman (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Etiwanda) neared a triple-double for the second time on the weekend.

Leading 8-7 with under 16 minutes to go in the first half, Wheaton scored the game's next seven points during a 32-second span for a 15-7 advantage. A pair of Connor threes triggered a 10-2 RPI spurt to knot the score at 17-17 with 12:23 remaining before the Lyons answered with 12 straight points for the contest's largest lead up to that point at 29-17 with 5:15 to go. Champney scored the first eight points of the run.

A Bailey triple made the score 34-21 with less than three minutes to play, and after the Engineers responded with seven straight, Wheaton scored the last five for a 39-28 edge. Champney and Connor each led their respective teams with 16 first-half points.

The Lyons didn't trail in the second frame, holding a 46-38 advantage with under 12 minutes left before the visitors eventually tied the game at 52-52 courtesy of a Coleman conventional three-point play at 5:53. A DePalo free throw gave Wheaton the lead for good before senior Stephanie Michals' (Fairfax, VA/Saint Stephen's & Saint Agnes School) bank shot that barely beat the shot clock, classmate Stephanie Walker's (Somers, CT/Somers) trey, DePalo's three-point play and Bailey's lay-up made it 63-52 by 2:22, as RPI came no closer than six points.