CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Smith College outscored MIT, 24-14, in the fourth quarter, helping it pull away for a 70-56 NEWMAC women's basketball victory on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers saw Kennedy Guest-Pritchett (Fairburn, Ga./The Lawrenceville School) and Katy McClellan (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area) both produce 20 points in addition to recording nine and seven rebounds, respectively. Senior Kara Holinski  paced the Engineers' balanced scoring performance with 13 points in addition to recording four assists and four steals. 

Smith has won nine-straight and improves to 19-5 on the year and 12-3 against league opponents, while MIT drops to 16-7 overall and 10-4 in the NEWMAC.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Smith inched out to a 12-6 lead following two free throws by McClellan with 3:36 left. Baskets by sophomore Kylie Gallagher and Holinski helped MIT narrow the gap at the end of the quarter.

Gallagher tied the game at 12 just nine seconds into the second stanza, but a three-pointer by McClellan sparked a 15-2 run which was capped by a McClellan layup at the 3:46 mark. Both teams traded free throws until first-year Christina Antonakakis buried a jumper, bringing the Engineers within 30-20 heading into halftime.

MIT chipped away at the deficit, coming within two on two occasions, the last at 40-38 on a jumper by senior Kristen Ngan with 1:37 to go. A three-point play by Guest-Pritchett created some breathing room, however, sophomore Jocelyn Luizzi countered with a quick jumper. The Pioneers replied with a Bondi trey, but Luizzi's jumper trimmed the deficit to 46-42 with 29 seconds remaining.

The visitors opened the final frame with a Bondi three-pointer, setting off a string of 10 unanswered points that fueled their pivotal 24-14 fourth-quarter performance. 

GAME NOTES

• Smith had the upper hand in rebounds (36-22), points in the paint (32-30), and second-chance points (14-4).
• The Pioneers shot 51.1 percent (24-of-47) from the floor, 55.5 percent (5-of-9) from three-point range, and 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the free-throw line.
• The Engineers, meanwhile, shot 47.2 percent (23-of-53) from the floor, went 1-of-8 from behind the arc, and converted five of their seven free-throw attempts.
• Smith improves to 32-18 all-time against the Engineers.
• Head coach Lynn Hersey can pick up her 200th career win and become Smith's all-time wins leader Saturday against Wheaton.

UP NEXT
The Pioneers will return to the court on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 2:00 p.m. against Wheaton and will honor their seven seniors prior to the game.

(Recap courtesy to MIT Athletics)

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.