Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--The Smith College basketball team is getting hot at the right time.  The Pioneers opened the second half on a 11-1 run to spark a 59-49 win over Springfield College on Wednesday night.  Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) recorded a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way for Smith.

With the win, Smith ups its record to 15-4 overall, 10-3 in the NEWMAC. Springfield fell to 11-9 overall, 7-6 in league play. Earlier this season, on Dec. 6 in Northampton, Springfield earned a hard-fought 54-46 victory over the Pioneers.

Also scoring in double figures for the Pioneers was freshman guard Maddie Page (Arvada, Colo./Jefferson Acad.) with 15 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Page was also 4-for-6 from the floor and 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

For the Pride, only two players scored in double figures. They were junior guard Meghan Biondolillo with 13 points, and freshman forward Jaimie Bickelhaupt with 10 points. Bickelhaupt also had eight rebounds. In addition, senior forward Kelly Slattery finished with six points and 11 rebounds.

It was Springfield which jumped out to a 9-0 lead in this contest., doing so when Bickelhaupt made a lay-up with 15:37 to go. But Smith scored the next eight points, and tied it at 14-all. It was tied twice more, the last at 18-all on two free throws by Page with 4:55 remaining in the first half.

At the half, Smith led by a point at 23-22.

Biondolillo made a free throw to tie matters one last time, 23-23, with 19:30 left. But a 10-0- Smith run proved to be the big difference over the next 4:11. A lay-up by junior guard/forward Amanda Zakoske (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School)  put Smith up for good with 18:54 left.

After Smith stretched it to 10, Springfield would cut it to five on several more occasions, and even cut it to three twice -- the last with 4:23 to go on a pair of free throws by Biondolillo.

Smith will host the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on Saturday at 2 p.m.  Springfield will host WPI at noon.

(Release courtesy Springfield Sports Information)