ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Senior Nicole DaPra scored a game-high 20 points but the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's basketball team was unable to hold off Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), losing 73-62 to the Tigers in a Liberty League game at Clark Memorial Gymnasium. The Engineers fall to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the conference, while RIT improves to 4-4 and 2-0. 

With the game essentially even through the first three quarters - RPI led 44-40 - the Tigers shot 54.5 percent (6 of 11) from the floor in the final frame, while holding Rensselaer to just 29.1 percent (7 of 24). RIT put up 33 points to the Engineers' 18 for the nine-point victory.

The home team got a free throw and a hoop from graduate student Andreja Peciuraite to pull to within a point, 44-43, at the start of the fourth, before RPI's Molly Libby scored on a layup. DaPra added a basket three minutes in for a 48-43 lead but the Tigers went on a 7-0 run for a two-point lead.

Rensselaer's Lolo Reynolds tied the game at 50-50 and Julia Rowe made it a 52-50 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Rowe scored on a layup for a 54-52 edge with 3:32 remaining but RIT scored 12 straight points over the next two minutes for a 64-54 advantage. Emma Waite had six points in that span, while Abigail Smith added four. Erin DiPaola had two.

DaPra cut it to seven points with a three pointer with 1:10 to play but the Tigers made nine free throws down the stretch, including four from Waite, for the win.

DaPra made 7 of 14 shots from the field, including three treys, with a team-best six rebounds in 39 minutes. Marley Mueller added 11 points and four caroms for the Engineers, who shot 34.8 percent (24 of 69) in the contest.

Waite had a team-best 19 points, including 8 of 8 from the foul line, with six rebounds and Peciuraite registered a double-double of 18 points (7 of 11 shooting) and 11 rebounds. Two others also had at least 10 points with Smith (10 points) adding nine rebounds.