Box Score NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – After falling behind by as many as 14 points, Smith College fought back to pull within four, but Wentworth Institute of Technology held on for a 48-44 victory in non-conference action Tuesday night.

First-year Samantha Alakai (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) scored 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 at the free throw line. The Honolulu, Hawaii native also grabbed six rebounds. Sophomore Mandy Castro (San Diego, Calif./Poway) netted 10 points, dished out a season-high six assists and tallied four steals, while senior Alyssa Barrett (Berlin, Conn./Berlin) added eight points.

The Leopards were led by junior Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine), who recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds. Wentworth shot 41.7 percent from the field compared to Smith's 32.7 percent clip.

Wentworth established a 22-10 lead early in the first half behind seven of Rogers' 17 points during the opening stretch. The Pioneers responded with a 6-2 run to trim the Leopards' advantage to 24-16 at the 4:08 mark. A layup by Jade Chihara (Lahaina, Hawaii/Lahainaluna) cut Wentworth's deficit to 28-18, but the Leopards scored four straight to close out the half.

After trailing at halftime, 32-18, Smith started the second half on a 4-0 run with a jumper by Chihara and a layup by Alakai. However, the Leopards responded with a 6-2 run of their own, pushing their lead back to 14 (38-24).

An Amanda Barriscale (Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais) jumper, followed by a pair of Barrett free throws got the Pioneers within six, 42-36, with 11:28 remaining. Barrett then netted a jumper in the lane to lift Smith to within four points. Once again, Wentworth answered, and at the 6:24 mark, the Leopards regained a nine-point advantage.

During the game's final two minutes, the Pioneers scored a layup and fouled on the other end. A missed Leopards free throw, coupled with an Alakai rebound and a three 3-pointer by Barrett cut Smith's deficit down to four with 49 seconds to play, but that was as close as the Pioneers could get.

Smith is back in action on December 3 when they open NEWMAC play against the Springfield College Pride at 7 p.m.