NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College women's basketball team held a one-point edge in the waning seconds until Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) converted a traditional three-point play with 2.3 ticks left that gave the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC)-leading Engineers an exciting 58-56 victory Saturday in Emerson Gymnasium.

Wheaton, which dropped to fifth place in the conference standings, fell to 13-10 overall and 7-4 in league play, as each of the Blue and White's last seven home losses to WPI since 1989 have come by seven points or fewer. Winning for the 12th time in their last 13 games, the Engineers are 18-5 and 10-1.

A pair of Lyon free throws by senior Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) with 1:17 remaining provided the hosts with a 56-55 edge in a half that featured 15 lead swings. After each team turned it over on back-to-back possessions, WPI gave the ball away with 44 seconds on the clock. Wheaton, however, was unable to take advantage, throwing the ball out of bounds with 15 ticks to go to set up the dramatic finish.

Engineer sophomore Elle Fontaine (Franklin, MA/Bishop Feehan) found junior Serena Dubois (Bangor, ME/Bangor) by herself on the left block, as Dubois laid in the left-handed hoop while getting fouled. After Dubois completed the three-point play, the Lyons quickly got the ball to half court before taking a timeout with 1.5 seconds to go. Wheaton managed to get a shot off out of the huddle, as Hickey received the ball on the right side, streaked toward the basket and released a running jumper that rolled off the rim.

The teams played nip-and-tuck over the course of the second half, as junior Andrea Bailey's (Needham, MA/Needham) three at 11:52 made it 46-42 in Wheaton's favor, which was the largest differential of the frame. WPI's biggest advantage came when Dubois laid in her hoop at 15:30 for a 37-34 edge. The half also had four ties, including the third on a jumper from Lyon junior Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) that made it 52-all with 6:13 remaining. Only five combined points were scored over the next nearly five minutes leading up to Hickey's freebies at 1:17.

Wheaton opened the first half with an offensive flurry, draining 10 of its initial 14 attempts for a 21-12 advantage by 10:16, as six different Lyons scored. In contrast, WPI started 5-of-13 while being carried by Fontaine, who went 4-of-6. After responding with an 11-2 run over 4:32 to knot the score at 23 with 4:51 to go, the Engineers tied things up for a second time on a free throw at 1:08 before a second freebie gave WPI its only lead of the stanza. The advantage proved to be short-lived, as Champney's jumper at 39 seconds helped the hosts carry a 31-30 edge into the locker room.

Champney finished the contest with a game-best 21 points to go alongside a team-best eight rebounds. Senior Lauren Gosline (Peterborough, NH/ConVal Regional) hit a trio of threes for nine points, while Bailey and Hickey finished with seven points each.

Dubois led the visitors with 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting while pulling down six rebounds. Fontaine had 16 points and seven boards, junior Kaileen Selen (Worcester, MA/Saint Peter-Marian) turned in nine points, while senior Natasha Deschene (Presque Isle, ME/Presque Isle) had seven points and nine boards.

The Lyons finish their 25-game regular season on the road, first traveling to Cambridge on Wednesday to take on Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at 8:00 p.m.