Box Score NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The last time the Smith College basketball team beat Trinity College, none of the Pioneers were in high school and head coach Lynn Hersey was just two years removed from her own collegiate playing career.  Smith wiped out a decade's worth of losses with a 68-47 win over the Bantams on Saturday, winning their fifth straight game to improve to 7-1.  The Bantams fall to 5-3.

Paulina Solis (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) led Smith with 17 points, six rebounds, and six steals while Devon Quattrocchi (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) each chipped in 12 points and Sydney Parkmond (Waterbury, Conn./Chase Collegiate) added 10 points and eight rebounds.  Bethany Claps (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Acad.) pulled down a game high 10 boards.

Trinity was led by Taylor Murtaugh and Shantel Hanniford, who each scored 10 points.  

Playing their third game in six days, the Pioneers started out slowly, missing their first four shots and comitting two turnovers in the first three minutes.  Quattrocchi's theft of Hanniford led to a layup by Drummond that tied the score at four, and the senior drained a three pointer that broke a 7-7 tie and gave Smith the lead for good at the 14:18 mark of the first half.

Smith went on an 18-7 run over the next eight minutes, culminated by a three pointer from Drummond with 6:15 to play in the first half that gave Smith an 11 point advantage (28-17).  Smith led by as many as 12 on Marissa Munoz-Ruiz (Fairfield, Calif./Justin-Siena)' free throw before taking a 37-27 lead into halftime.

Solis put the game out of reach early in the seond half; with the Pioneers up 41-31, the sophomore scored eight straight points, starting with a three at the 16:13 mark, and following a Trinity turnover, sinking a floating layup.  She completed the burst by picking Abby Hancock's pocket, and though her initial layup was blocked, Munoz-Ruiz found her on the left wing for another three that gave Smith a 49-31 advantage and forced Trinity into a timeout.

Out of the timeout, the Bantams closed to within 14 on two free throws by Murtaugh, but would not get any closer.  A jumper by Solis with 2:51 to play gave Smith their biggest lead of the night at 64-43.

Defense was again key for the Pioneers, who forced 29 turnovers and limited Trinity to 8-for-25 shooting in the second half.  Smith also took advantage at the free throw line, connecting on 9-of-12 foul shots, while Trinity was 9-for-18.  

Smith will close out the semester with a home date against MCLA on December 12 at 7 p.m.  Trinity will be back in action just before the New Year, facing WPI on December 30 in the WPI Holiday Invitational.