Game Preview: Basketball vs. Clark

February 19, 2016

Women's Basketball vs Clark
Saturday, February 20 - 2 p.m.
Ainsworth Gymnasium - Northampton, Mass.
Live Stats Video

The Smith College basketball team hosts Clark University in the final game of the regular season. The Pioneers will be hosting their annual "Play4Kay" fundraiser as well as honoring their two seniors, Tia Karapoulios (Cypress, Calif./Cypress) and Shannon Saywell (Groton, Mass./Lawrence Acad.).

Last Meeting
Ten different players notched at least two points in Smith's 68-44 win over Clark on February 16, 2015. Samantha Alakai (Pukalani, Hawaii/Punahou School) scored a game-high 16 points and added four steals, while Amanda Barriscale (Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais) produced a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Pioneers took a 34-14 lead at halftime.

The Series
In a series that dates back to 1980, this is the 46th meeting between these two schools. Clark leads 31-14 as the teams split the series last year. The Pioneers are 9-14 at home.

Playoff Implications
Smith secured the final spot in the NEWMAC playoffs with their win on Wednesday.

The Cougars
Clark (6-18, 3-12 NEWMAC) won their final non-conference game of the season Thursday evening against Simmons, 67-39. In that game, the Cougars held their opponent to 14 points in the second and third quarters combined and shot 53 percent from the field in the first half. Sam O'Gara finished with a game-high 18 points to go along with six assists, four steals and three rebounds, while Kacey Legare totaled nine points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals. Clark averages 57.3 points per game and are shooting 33.9 percent from the field and 25.4 percent from 3-point range.

The Pioneers
Smith (10-14, 6-9 NEWMAC) enters Saturday's game against Clark on a season-high three game win streak after their 70-32 victory over Wellesley. In that game, the Pioneers closed out the game on a 22-0 run, including a 19-0 advantage in the fourth quarter. Samantha Alakai (Pukalani, Hawaii/Punahou School) scored a game-high 16 points and added seven rebounds off the bench, while first-year forward Kennedy Guest-Pritchett (Fairburn, GA/The Lawrenceville School) added 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor while collecting eight boards. Guest-Pritchett is ranked second in the NEWMAC with 9.1 rebounds per game and is third in field goal percentage (50.4%), while Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary) (35.8%) is third in the conference in three-point shooting percentage. The Pioneers score 62.3 points per game and are shooting 36.9 percent from the field and 30.9 from behind-the-arc.

Next Up
Seedings for the NEWMAC tournament will be announced Saturday evening. The quarterfinals will be on Wednesday, February 24.

2015-16 NEWMAC Women's Basketball Standings

School	Conference	Overall
Babson	14-1	19-5
WPI	13-2	21-3
MIT	11-4	17-7
Coast Guard	10-5	14-10
Wheaton	10-6	17-8
Springfield	9-6	15-9
Smith	6-9	10-14
Emerson	5-10	10-14
Clark	3-12	6-18
Wellesley	2-13	4-18
Mount Holyoke	0-15	0-23

Print Friendly Version