NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--Junior guard Kara Holinski scored a game-high 25 points as fifth-seeded MIT defeated top-seeded Smith College, 64-51, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament semifinal on Saturday afternoon at Ainsworth Gymnasium.
With the victory, MIT (17-9) advances to the conference title game for the first time in program history and will face second-seeded WPI. Smith falls to 20-6 on the year.
Holinski was 9-of-12 from the floor to go along with three rebounds for the Engineers. Freshman forward Jocelyn Luizzi added 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists, while classmate Dolly Yaun led all players with 11 rebounds.
Senior guard Meghan Holland (Atherton, Calif./Sacred Heart Prepatory) totaled 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists for the Pioneers. Junior guard Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary) added 14 points, two rebounds, two steals, and two assists. Junior Junior forward Kennedy Guest-Pritchett (Fairburn, Ga./The Lawrenceville School) was just shy of a double-double, finishing with eight points and nine rebounds.
The Pioneers connected on three of its first four shots to build a 7-0 lead on a jumper by Guest-Pritchett 3:30 into the first quarter. A bucket by Holland and three-pointer by Marquez made it 15-4 with 2:25 remaining in the first. Following its own timeout, MIT responded with seven straight points as a three-pointer by Holinski made the score 15-11 just 10 seconds into the second stanza.
An exchange of three pointers ensued until a jumper by the Pioneers created a 23-14 margin midway through the frame. A trey by freshman Jocelyn Luizzi ended the Engineers' three-mintue scoring drought, however, Smith quickly drained a layup to maintain its cushion. On MIT's next possession, Luizzi knocked down a jumper, sparking a 9-0 run that put the visitors ahead, 26-25, heading into halftime. During the rally, junior Maude Gull drained a pair of buckets while Luizzi capped the burst with a three-pointer.
The third quarter was closely played as there were four lead changes and two ties. Trailing 32-29, the Pioneers strung together seven straight points to take a slight edge with 2:28 remaining. The Engineers rallied with a Holinski fast-break layup and a 4-for-4 performance by Taylor V'Dovec at the charity stripe to put them back in front, 38-38 with 1:20 to go.
MIT carried the momentum into the final frame as a trey by Holinski ignited the Engineers' pivotal run. The Cardinal and Gray's advantage later grew to 13 (51-38) after a free throw by Dolly Yuan with just under two minutes left to play. Despite the deficit, Smith continued to attack, going on an 11-5 spurt during the next minute to come within seven points on a three-pointer by Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary). This was as close as it would get as the Engineers went 6-for-8 at the charity stripe to thwart the late rally.
MIT shot 42.9 percent overall and held a 42-34 advantage on the boards.
The Pioneers shot 29 percent (18-of-62) for the game and hit 9-of-26 from three-point range.
MIT and WPI will meet in the NEWMAC Women's Basketball Championship game Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Smith College.
(Portions of this recap courtesy to MIT Sports Information)
