Box Score Coach Hersey's postgame comments

NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--Lizzy BelBruno (Hanover, N.H./Hanover) and Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) each scored 14 points as Smith put in a convincing performance in a 72-61 win over Clark University in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference quarterfinals on Wednesdsay.

With the win, No. 3 seed Smith improves to 16-9 and advances to a NEWMAC semifinal match up with No. 2 Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Saurday, February 26 at 3 p.m.  Clark sees their season end with a mark of 9-17.

The third matchup of these two teams proved to be as close as the first two, at least for the first half.  Smith opened up the game by hitting their first three baskets, opening up a 6-2 lead on Amanda Zakoske (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School)'s layup, but Clark knotted the game at eight on Esther Cohn's hoop with 16:42 to play.  BelBruno sandwiched a pair of threes around Devon Quattorcchi's fast break layup to give Smith a 16-8 lead, only to see Clark score nine consecutive points.  Kate Minister nailed a deep three pointer, and Lily Colley's layup gave Clark their first lead of the game at 17-16.

After Emily Reilly sank a pair of free throws to extende Clark's advantage to 23-20, Smith finished the half on an 18-9 run, going up by as many as seven on Sydney Parkmond (Waterbury, Conn./Chase Collegiate)'s basket with 2:55 left in the half.  The Pioneers carried a 38-32 lead into halftime, and immediately opened up a 42-32 advantage when Ashani Petrizzi (Deerfield, Mass./Greenfield) put back a miss by Drummond, followed by Drummond's two free throws.  Spurred on by a raucous crowd, Smith put the game to bed quickly in the second half.  Ivori Aiken's basket got Clark within seven with 9:55 left, but Libby Dutton (Deering, N.H./Hillsboro-Deering)'s triple, followed by two free throws from Drummond pushed the lead to 12, and Clark got no closer than six the rest of the way.

Ashleigh Condon led all scorers with 17 points for Clark, followed by 12 from Kate Minister and 10 from Megan Grondin.  Smith was led by the 14 points apeice of Drummond and BelBruno, while Devon Quattrocchi (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) had a fine all around game with 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.  Amanda Zakoske (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School) added 10 points.  Smith dominated the glass, outrebounding Clark 45-37, forced 19 Clark turnovers, and shot a sizzling 84.8% from the foul line (28-33).  Ellie Giles (Charlottesville, Va./St. Annes Belfield) led the Pioneers with eight rebounds. 

Smith now heads to the semifinals for the first time since 1999.  The PIoneers will match up with WPI for the third time this season, while No. 1 seed Babson will play No. 4 seed Springfield College.  WPI swept the Pioneers in the regular season, winning 58-53 in Northampton in the NEWMAC opener for both teams December 1st, then overcoming a 20-15 halftime deficit to with 56-47 in Worcester on January 26.  The two teams will play for a berth in the conference final starting at 3 p.m. on February 26.