NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Senior forward Kennedy Guest-Pritchett (Fairburn, Ga./The Lawrenceville School) scored a career-high 32 points and hauled in 18 rebounds as the Smith College basketball team prevailed over Clark University, 71-61, Wednesday evening in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action at Ainsworth Gymnasium. The Pioneers are now 6-2 overall with a 2-1 mark in conference play, while the Cougars slip to 3-5 on the year with an 0-2 record against league opponents.

SMITH HIGHLIGHTS

• Guest-Pritchett shot 12-of-16 from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line.
• Senior guard Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary) finished with 18 points with four treys and a game-high five assists.
• First-year Katelyn Pickunka (Westhampton, Mass./Hampshire) came off the bench to score 14 points and grab eight boards.

CLARK HIGHLIGHTS

• Ogechi Ezemma recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
• Sam O'Gara lead the Cougars in scoring with 16 points to go along with three assists and two rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Pioneers jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the game on two buckets from Guest-Pritchett and a three-pointer from Bondi. Smith held Clark scoreless throughout the first 4:10 of the game before Cori Ouellette drained a shot from beyond-the-arc to make it a 7-3 game. The Pioneers would go into the second quarter with a 16-12 advantage.

Up 27-24 with 5:47 remaining in the half, Smith rattled off 11-straight points and would take a 42-27 lead into the third quarter. 

Smith's largest lead of the game came with 1:57 left in the third quarter on a free throw from senior guard Katy McClellan (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area). The Pioneers maintained a comfortable lead until Clark hit a three-pointer then stole the inbounds pass and made a layup to come within nine points, 69-60, with 1:04 left in the game. That is as close as the Cougars would get as Smith went on for the 71-61 final.

GAME NOTES

• Smith ended the night with advantages in rebounds (50-26), points in the paint (28-20), and second-chance points (20-9).
• Bondi is six three-pointers away from the career record at Smith.
• Guest-Pritchett recorded her fourth double-double of the season.
• Smith improves to 19-32 all-time against the Cougars and have won six of the last seven meetings.

UP NEXT
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, December for a 1:00 p.m. NEWMAC game at Emerson. 



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.