GAME INFORMATION
Score: Smith College 66, Salve Regina 50
Records: Smith (4-0); Salve Regina (1-2)
When: Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Location: Northampton, Mass.
Smith Starters: Bondi, Marquez, Holland, Guest-Pritchett, Barriscale
Salve Regina Starters: Burke, Beland, Esielionis, Scorpio, Eden

Led by a 22 point effort from junior guard Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary), the Smith College basketball team earned a 66-50 win over Salve Regina University Tuesday evening at Ainsworth Gymnasium. With the victory, the Pioneers improve to 4-0, while the Seahawks fall to 1-2.

SMITH HIGHLIGHTS

• Bondi shot 8-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-4 from long distance to go along with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
• Junior forward Kennedy Guest-Pritchett (Fairburn, Ga./The Lawrenceville School) finished with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds.
• Senior guard Meghan Holland (Atherton, Calif./Sacred Heart Prepatory) added seven points while classmate Paige Marquez (San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius College Prepatory) totaled five points and three boards.

SALVE REGINA HIGHLIGHTS

• Tara Burke and Lauryn Becker each recorded a team-high 11 points for the Seahawks.
• Kerri Beland and Mary Eden hauled in five boards apiece. 
• Torie Scrpio dished out three assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Back-to-back buckets from Ally Esielionis and Tara Burke put the Seahawks up 1:37 into play. After trailing 6-2, Smith received baskets from Barriscale and Guest-Pritchett to tie the game 6-6. Two free throws from the visitors made it a six point game at the 2:16 mark but it was a late 7-0 run that gave the Pioneers a 25-12 advantage heading into the second stanza.

A good three-pointer by Salve Regina's Mary Eden made the score 26-17, but Bondi poured in four of Smith's next seven points over the next 4:36 to give the Pioneers a 33-17 lead. Smith was able to extend their lead to as much as 19 (38-19) on Meghan Holland (Atherton, Calif./Sacred Heart Prepatory)'s jumper with 38 seconds left in the half.

It was a back and forth affair to open the second half as Holland and Burke exchanged baskets to open the third. The lead grew as large as 24 points on a Bondi trey, however Salve Regina was able to chip away and close out the quarter going 5-of-6 from the free throw line to make it a 53-36 game.

The Pioneers would maintain their double-digit lead for the entirety of the fourth quarter for the 66-50 victory.
 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Field Goals: SMI 25-55 / SRU 15-46
• 3-Point FG: SMI 6-18 / SRU 3-14
• Free Throw: SMI 10-12 / SRU 17-18
• Points off Turnovers: SMI 27 / SRU 13

GAME NOTES

• The Seahawks held a 32-31 edge in rebounds.
• Bondi passes Mandy Castro for fifth all-time in program history with 81 made three-pointers.
• Smith now leads the all-time series 2-1
• At 4-0, the Pioneers are off to their best start since the 2011-12 season.

UP NEXT
The Pioneers will play their first road game of the season on Sunday, November 26 at Williams. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is an NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.