GAME INFORMATION
Score: Smith College 76, Wheaton 46
Records: Smith (15-4, 8-2); Wheaton (7-12, 2-8)
When: Saturday, January 27, 2018
Location: Northampton, Mass.
Smith Starters: Bondi, Marquez, Holland, Guest-Pritchett, Barriscale
Wheaton Starters: Pucci, Rairdon, Wind, Olivieri, Hamilton

The Smith College basketball team rolled to a 76-46 win over Wheaton College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Pioneers remain undefeated at home this season and improve to 15-4 overall and 8-2 in league play. Wheaton drops to 7-12, 2-8.

SMITH HIGHLIGHTS 

• Junior forward Kennedy Guest-Pritchett was perfect from the field (8-for-8) and finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks.
• Junior guard Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary) totaled 13 points, three boards, three assists, and three steals.
• Seniors Paige Marquez (San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius College Prepatory), Amanda Barriscale (Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais), and Samantha Alakai (Pukalani, Hawaii/Punahou School) finished with eight points apiece.

    WHEATON HIGHLIGHTS

• Mikayla Pucci led the Lyons with 13 points and four boards.
• Sara McLeman came off the bench to score seven points.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Smith dominated the opening minutes of the game as the Pioneers jumped out to a 10-2 lead with 6:37 on the clock. After Chelsea Rairdon's jumper at the 3:50 mark, Smith closed out the first quarter on an 11-0 run. Barriscale connected on back-to-back buckets and Alakai drained a three-pointer to power the Pioneers.

Smith outscored Wheaton 19-9 in the second quarter to take a commanding 44-16 lead into halftime.

A layup from Paige Marquez (San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius College Prepatory) and a trey from Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary) sparked the home squad for a 5-0 run to begin the third period. A three-point play from Sara McLeman and two free throws from Abby Hamilton made the score 55-26 but Smith would maintain a comfortable 59-28 lead at the end of the stanza.

A layup by Guest-Pritchett with 5:01 remaining in the fourth gave the Pioneers their largest lead of the game at 67-32 as Smith cruised to the 30-point victory.
 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Field Goals: SMI  32-62 / WHE 15-41
• 3-Point FG: SMI  4-16 / WHE 2-10
• Free Throw: SMI 8-8 / WHE 14-17
• Points off Turnovers: SMI 19 / WHE 11

GAME NOTES

• Smith held the 37-20 advantage in rebounds. 
• The Pioneers improve to 21-32 all-time against the Lyons.
• Smith is off to their best start dating back to the 2012-13 season.
• The Pioneers remain undefeated at home in 2017-18 (11-0) and have won 19 consecutive games at Ainsworth Gymnasium.
• Guest-Pritchett moves to 10th on Smith's all-time scoring list with 1,036 career points.

UP NEXT
The Pioneers return to action Wednesday, January 31 when they travel to WPI for a 7:00 p.m. road contest.

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.