NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The postseason gets underway for the Smith College basketball team when the Pioneers (22-3) play a familiar foe in Wellesley College (14-9) on Saturday in the semifinal round of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament on Saturday. The winner will meet the winner of the day's earlier matchup between No. 17 and top-seeded Babson College, and fourth seed WPI in Sunday's championship game.
Last Meeting: The Pioneers and Blue met on the court just a week ago, with Smith coming away with a 65-53 win.
Paulina Solis (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) netted 25 points for Smith, connecting on four of 10 three point shots.
Last Playoff Meeting: Smith, the conference's No. 3 seed, beat No. 6 seed Wellesley 64-44 in the quarterfinal round in 1998. Smith advanced to the final before falling to top seeded Clark, 85-75.
Smith Overview: Smith is playing in the semifinals of the NEWMAC tournament for the third consecutive year, having advanced to the finals in each of the last two seasons. Smith also finished as the conference tournament runnerup in 1989 and 1998 (when the conference was known as the NEW8). Smith will be looking for the programs' first ever trip to the NCAA tournament.
Wellesley Overview: The Blue moved into the semifinals for the second straight year with a 59-51 win over Clark University in the quarterfinal round. Wellesley, the third seed in the tournament, led 33-12 at halftime, but had to withstand a furious rally from the Cougars. Clark moved within four with 2:22 remaining, but could not get closer.
Smith Player to Watch: Sharpshooting
Paulina Solis (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) has scored in double-figures in eight of her last nine games, while averaging 4.6 steals per contest and shooting 84% from the free throw line.
Wellesley Player to Watch: Malia Maier scored 13 points against Clark, shooting 4-for-8 from three point range.
Did you know? This is the first neutral site game of the season for Smith.
