Box Score NORTHAMPTON, Mass. –
Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) scored 18 points and pulled down 11 defensive rebounds to notch her third consecutive double-double as the Smith College basketball team defeated visiting Mount Holyoke 63-56 on Wednesday night in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference matchup inside Ainsworth Gym.
With the win, Smith, who improved to 9-10 on the year and 9-5 in the conference, delivered
Lynn Hersey her 100th victory as the Pioneers head coach. Mount Holyoke, meanwhile, moved to 5-14 on the season and 2-12 in the loop.
Paulina Solis (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) and
Sydney Parkmond (Waterbury, Conn./Chase Collegiate) each scored in double figures with 13 and 11, respectively,
Jazmine Collins (Springfield, Mass./Sabis) hauled in six boards and doled out a career-high five assists while
Alyssa Barrett (Berlin, Conn./Berlin) chipped in with a career-best four steals for the Pioneers.
Mount Holyoke was led by Kate Karraker with 15 points and Amber Legare, who narrowly missed a double-double, with 15 points and nine boards. Genelle Green tacked on 10 points for the Lyons as Nicole DeMarchena was credited with four swipes.
After trading early buckets, Karraker sparked a 12-2 run that saw Green push the Lyons lead to 10 with a layup just over five minutes into the contest. Nearly two-and-a-half minutes later, Drummond began a Pioneer 12-2 run with a traditional three-point play. She went on to tie the game at 16-all with a pair of freebies with under nine minutes left in the half. After the Pioneers took a pair of four-point leads, DeMarchena combined with Jennine Vizcaino to take the 24-22 lead with 3:36 to go in the stanza. After a Legare jumper to make it a four-point game, Solis and Drummond teamed up to give the hosts a 29-26 advantage heading into the break.
The Pioneers slowly built a double-digit lead and were up by as much as 15 (52-37) following a triple by
Mandy Castro (San Diego, Calif./Poway) midway through the second half. The Lyons then used a 12-3 run to get within six with 3:34 to go. The trio of Drummond, Parkmond and Solis pushed the advantage back to 11 before Legare and Green each hit a layup and Karraker drained a free throw to make it a six-point ballgame with under a minute left. The Pioneers sank three free throws and DeMarchena countered with a layup in the waning moments for the 63-56 final.
Both squads host league games on Saturday as Smith hosts first-place Wellesley at 2:00 p.m. and Mount Holyoke entertains MIT at 1:00 p.m.
