Box Score NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--A wild Smith College comeback fell just short as the Pioneers' season opening win streak was snapped at six with a 54-46 loss to Springfield College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference basketball action on Tuesday night. 

Up 27-24 at halftime, Smith shot 30.8% (8-of-26) from the field and went to the foul line a mere five times in the second half.  The loss drops Smith to 6-1, and 2-1 in the NEWMAC, while Springfield snapped a three game losing streak and improved to 3-4 and 1-2 in NEWMAC play. 

The Pride raced out to a 9-2 lead before the game was three minutes old.  Jaimie Bickelhaupt opened the scoring with a putback of a Kelly Slattery miss, then assisted on a three from Kelly Murphy after Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) tied the score.  Bickelhaupt drained two free throws and Colleen Dignum's jumper forced Smith into a 30 second timeout. 

Out of the timeout, Drummond connected on another basket, and consecutive buckets by Amanda Zakoske (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School) and Lizzy BelBruno (Hanover, N.H./Hanover) trimmed the Springfield lead to 9-8.  A three from Dignum pushed the lead back to four, but Smith countered with a 9-4 burst capped by a three from Paulina Solis (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) gave Smith their first lead of the game at 17-16. 

A Zakoske layup and three free throws by Maddie Page (Arvada, Colo./Jefferson Acad.) boosted Smith's lead to 27-20 with 1:18 left in the first half, but Springfield scored the final four points of the half to cut the lead to 27-24 at the break.

Springfield came out of the lockerroom hot, outscoring Smith 10-4 over the first six minutes of the half thanks to a three point play by Kelly Murphy and back-to-back baskets from Slattery that gave the Pride a 37-31 lead.  Smith struggled meanwhile, missing five of their first seven shots and committing three turnovers during that stretch.

Andrea Butler fed Tamara Tribble for a basket that put the Pride up by as many as 12 (45-33), but Smith began to slowly chip away, starting with a BelBruno foul shot that got the lead back into single digits with 8:16 to play. 

A steal and layup from Solis cut the lead to seven, and when BelBruno rebounded Ellie Giles (Charlottesville, Va./St. Annes Belfield)' miss and found Solis in the corner, the first year drained her third three of the game to make it a 45-41 contest with 3:42 to play.

The Pride pushed the lead back to 48-41 on two free throws from Slattery, but Drummond scored inside, and BelBruno drained a three from the top of the key with 1:37 to play that cut the lead to 48-46, but those would be the last points Smith would score.

Springfield made six free throws in the final minute to extend the margin of victory.  Slattery had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Murphy added 13 points and Dignum 10.

Smith's big guns were shut down, with Drummond and BelBruno limited to six points apiece.  Solis led the Pioneers with 13 points.  Sydney Parkmond (Waterbury, Conn./Chase Collegiate) and Drummond pulled down a team high seven boards each.

Smith will be at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.  Springfield will play at WPI on December 9 at 7:00 p.m.