Box Score
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. –
Mandy Castro (San Diego, Calif./Poway) established a new career high with 14 points to help the top-seeded Smith College basketball team to the 2014 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Basketball Championship title game with a 64-58 triumph over fifth-seeded Babson, the five-time defending conference tournament champions, on Saturday in the first semifinal held inside Ainsworth Gym on Saturday.
Smith (16-10) moves on to play the winner of the second semifinal between second-seeded Wheaton and sixth-seeded Springfield tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Babson closes out the 2013-14 campaign with a 14-13 ledger. Entering today's game, the Beavers held a 4-0 record in postseason meetings, including victories in the 2011 and 2012 championship games.
Castro came off the bench to shoot 4-for-7 from the floor with a pair of triples and went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe.
Paulina Solis (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) added 17 points and five steals while
Lauren Weston (Florence, Mass./Northampton) paced the Pioneers with nine rebounds.
Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) contributed nine points and seven boards.
Jennifer Narlee led all student-athletes with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting as Linett Garber stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, nine rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block. Erin Young also chipped in with eight points for the Beavers.
Trailing by five (15-10) with 12:13 left in the first half, Castro sank a triple to spark an 11-0 run which was capped by a Solis layup with just under nine minutes left in the frame. Babson later embarked on a 12-0 spurt that began with three consecutive scores by Narlee as the Beavers took a 31-27 advantage with just over four minutes to go in the stanza. Smith regained the lead for the remainder of the contest courtesy of a pair of freebies by
Jade Chihara (Laihana, Hawaii/Laihanaluna) with just over two minutes to go before the break.
After
Jazmine Collins (Springfield, Mass./Sabis) gave the hosts a 49-41 lead with 13:23 left in the game, neither team made a basket over the next 3:14 until Babson's Jess Coelho made a layup with just over 10 minutes to play. The Beavers made it a two-point game with 4:03 left following a free throw by Kristen Ferola. Giovanna Pickering brought the guest within two for the final time with a layup as 2:59 showed on the scoreboard. Solis and Castro combined for six made free throws down the stretch for the 64-58 final.
