WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team saw its fourth-quarter comeback bid fall just short in a 61-59 defeat to host Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference opener at Harrington Auditorium this afternoon in Worcester, Mass.

The Lyons fall to 4-11 overall and 0-1 in the NEWMAC with the loss, while the Engineers improve to 10-5 and 1-0. 

Wheaton started just 1-6 from beyond the arc in the first half before draining four threes in the second half to finish at 39% (5-13) from three. The Lyons' late surge saw them shoot 50% (7-14) from the field in the fourth quarter, but WPI was able to hang on thanks to its 64% (7-11) shooting in the third quarter.

Junior forward Cheyenne Colbert (Brookline, N.H.) led Wheaton in scoring with 22 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two assists as first year forward Darlene Tashobya (Kampala Uganda) set a new career high with 14 points on 55% (5-9) shooting from the field. Senior forward Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) was the third Lyon to crack the double-digit scoring column, finishing with 11 points and three rebounds.

Junior Ava Giansiracusa (Whethersfield, Conn.) led the Engineers with 19 points, adding five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Fellow junior Ava Hyams (Kearny, N.J.) finished with 15 points on an efficient 7-11 from the field and added five rebounds as well. Junior Emmy Allyn (Rutland, Mass.) scored 12 points and junior Leila Nielsen (New York, N.Y.) scored 11 points with both adding five rebounds to finish as the final two players with more than 10 points. 

The hosts hit the ground running, opening up a 20-9 lead in the first quarter. The Lyons' defense was able to hold the Engineers to half as many points in the second quarter, outscoring their hosts 11-10 in the frame. Keyter and Colbert each scored before halftime to keep the deficit to 10 points. 

The Engineers came out from halftime with a flurry of scoring as Hyams sank a layup and Allyn scored from three. Allyn scored another three-pointer and Giansiracusa made both of her free throws to give the home side a 16-point lead in the third quarter. Once again, the Lyons pushed back late in the frame as sophomore guard Daniella MacDonald (Newtown, Pa.) knocked down a triple and Tashobya drained both of her attempts from the stripe. Their late push saw them enter the fourth quarter down 10 points once more.

MacDonald and Colbert each scored tough baskets in the paint before first year guard Sydney MacCalla (Middletown, N.Y.) scored from downtown to put the Lyons within three points of their conference foe. Colbert commanded the floor through the middle portion of the quarter as she scored seven straight points for her team. The dominant effort from the junior kept Wheaton within three points entering the final minute of play. Both sides traded free throws before Keyter hit a three-pointer to put the Lyons within one of WPI with just 17 seconds to go. Wheaton fouled to get the ball back, giving Hyams a chance from the line. She converted just one of her shots, giving the Lyons a chance off the break. Colbert would have her layup bid denied by the rim before she forced the turnover to retain possession with only two seconds left. A quick kickout to Keyter outside of the arc gave the Lyons the last look of the game, but the rim would deny Wheaton once again and the Lyons fell short.

Wheaton stays on the road as it returns to Worcester to take on league rival Clark University on Wednesday, January 21 at 7:00 pm. The Engineers return on the same date, hosting conference rival Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a 7:00 pm tip-off.