GAME INFORMATION
Score: Smith College 50, Wellesley College 47
Records: Smith (12-4, 6-2); Wellesley (4-11, 2-7)
When: Saturday, January 20, 2018
Location: Northampton, Mass.
Smith Starters: Bondi, McClellan, Holland, Guest-Pritchett, Barriscale
Wellesley Starters: Aguirre, Jang, You Mak, Kopp, Brown

The Smith College basketball team rolled off its fourth straight victory with a 50-47 win over Wellesley College Saturday afternoon in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action at Ainsworth Gymnasium. The Pioneers improve to 12-4 overall and 6-2 in league play while the Blue drop to 4-11, 2-7.

SMITH HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior guard Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary) led all players with 18 points, three rebounds, and two assists. 
• Junior forward Kennedy Guest-Pritchett (Fairburn, Ga./The Lawrenceville School) registered a double-double of 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and 10 boards.
• Senior forward Samantha Alakai (Pukalani, Hawaii/Punahou School) came off the bench to score 15 points while grabbing six rebounds.

WELLESLEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Sophomore Caitlin Aguirre finished in double-figures, scoring a team-high 15 points.
• Senior Kalya Jang chipped in with nine points, five rebounds, and three steals.
• Sophomore Kendall You Mak finished with a team-high six boards.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Wellesley jumped out to an 11-1 lead to start the game as Aguirre and Jang hit back-to-back treys in the opening minutes. A three-pointer from Samantha Alakai (Pukalani, Hawaii/Punahou School) cut the Blue's advantage to 13-6 with two minutes left in the first quarter but two free throws from Alyssa Cho and a jumper by Emily Kopp gave the visitors a 17-6 edge heding into the second quarter.

Trailing 24-15 at the 5:28 mark, the Pioneers closed out the half on a 10-2 run. Two free throws from Bondi started the run followed by back-to-back baskets by Alakai. Bondi converted a three-pointer with 39 seconds on the clock to bring her team within one point.

Wellesley rattled off five straight points to build a six point lead 2:40 into the third stanza but Smith would earn their first lead of the game on Guest-Pritchett's layup with under a minute left in the period.

The Pioneers maintained their lead for much of the fourth quarter getting up by as many as eight points on Guest-Pritchett's bucket with 4:49 left in the game. Chelsea Brown and Aguirre got the Blue to within one, 48-47, with just over a minute to play. Aguirre had a chance to take the lead with 29 seconds on the clock but was unable to convert. The Blue had one last opportunity to win the game as their defense forced a turnover by Smith but Brown's three-point attempt was off the mark. Bondi went on to convert two free throws to secure the win for the Pioneers.
 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Field Goals: SMI  17-36 / WEL 17-49
• 3-Point FG: SMI  5-15 / WEL 6-17
• Free Throw: SMI 11-19 / WEL 7-8
• Points off Turnovers: SMI 10 / WEL 16

GAME NOTES

• Smith held the 37-18 advantage in rebounds. 
• The Pioneers improve to 42-27 overall against Wellesley. 
• Smith remains undefeated at home in 2017-18 and have won 17 consecutive home games.
• Guest-Pritchett recorded her ninth double-double of the season and is just eight points away from 1,000 in her career.
• Alakai is now tied for seventh in program history with 75 made three-pointers.

UP NEXT
The Pioneers will travel to Middlebury College for a non-conference game Monday, January 22 at 6:00 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.