TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's basketball team got back to their winning ways on Saturday afternoon, as they defeated Bard College by a final score of 66-28.
 
Leading the pursuit on an offensive day was Siena Smith, who tallied 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the floor, including a 2-for-4 mark from three-point range. Freshman Sophie Costello scored 10 points – a new career-high.
 
The Engineers kept the offense rolling through the start of the game, opening up a 24-8 lead after the first quarter. In the opening frame, RPI shot a game-high 58.8 percent from the field, going 10-for-17. By halftime, the RPI lead grew to 22 points, as they led 40-18.
 
A layup from Bard's Ella Perreault at the 4:19 mark of the second quarter was the last bucket for Bard for a period of 15:27, not finding a score again until the 9:11 mark of the fourth quarter. RPI held Bard off the board through the end of the second quarter, the whole third quarter, and for 49 seconds of the fourth. By that point, the Engineers lead grew to 37 points, 55-18.
 
Costello capped the scoring on the day with a three-pointer with 38 seconds to play, giving RPI their largest lead of the day at 38 points as the Engineers clinched the win.
 
For Bard, Erin Tobes scored eight points, while Mae Redmond added seven points. Perreault scored four points but grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
 
RPI returns to action on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 5:30 p.m. when they play host to William Smith College at ECAV Arena.