NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Facing a 13-point deficit at the halftime break, the Smith College basketball team rallied to defeat The College of New Jersey, 72-67, in the Pioneers final game of 2018 at Ainsworth Gymnasium Sunday afternoon. With the win, Smith improves to 8-3 on the year, while the Lions fall to 7-5.

SMITH HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior guard Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary) led the Pioneers with 23 points and shot 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
• Senior forward Kennedy Guest-Pritchett (Fairburn, Ga./The Lawrenceville School) finished with a double-double of 14 points and 18 rebounds.
• Senior guard Katy McClellan (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area) added 12 points, five boards, and three assists.

TCNJ HIGHLIGHTS

• The Lions received a 15-point, 14 rebound performance from Shannon Devitt.
• Samantha Famulare chipped in 14 points, six boards, and two assists.
• Jen Byrne, Ellie Cimilluca, and Kate O'Leary each tallied eight points.

GAME NOTES

• Guest-Pritchett recorded her sixth double-double of the season.
• Smith made 26-of-55 field goals, shooting 47.3 percent in the victory, while TCNJ was 25-of-69 (36.2%) in the setback.
• The Pioneers held a 39-35 advantage on the glass over 30 minutes of play.
• Smith leads the all-time series, 1-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED
TCNJ took a 15-4 lead with 3:34 to play in the first quarter on a three-pointer from O'Leary before baskets from Bondi and first-year Dashelle Gleissner (Los Angeles, Calif./Serra) pulled the Pioneers within seven at the 2:02 mark. McClellan nailed a jumper with 1:33 on the clock to make it 17-10, Lions, after one.

After Smith scored the first two baskets of the second quarter to come within three, the Lions went on a 17-3 run midway through the second quarter to hold 34-17 lead at the 3:10 mark. A layup from sophomore Elle Jo Whalen (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville High School) got the Pioneers to within 12, but the visitors would go into the locker room with a 38-25 lead.

TCNJ held their largest lead of the game, 51-34, on a Devitt jumper with 5:08 on the clock, but that would kickstart a 14-3 run from the Pioneers to end the third quarter trailing 54-48.

The Lions received a three-pointer from O'Leary to give them a nine point cushion, 63-54 with 6:42 remaining in the period, however Smith would go on to score the next nine points to tie the game at 63 with 4:53 left to play. Bondi knocked down a trey to take their first lead of the game and never looked back as successful free throws down the stretch sealed the 72-67 victory.

UP NEXT
Smith College will return to action on Saturday, January 5 when it will host MIT at 2:00 p.m.



About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a 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.