BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Smith College basketball team cruised to a 74-51 win over the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Championship Friday night on the campus of Bowdoin College.

The victory boosts Smith's record to 22-6, marking just the third time in the history of the program that the Pioneers hit the 22-win plateau. The win on the national stage marked Smith's first win in the NCAA Tournament since 2013. The Mariners season comes to a close with a record of 22-4.

SMITH HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior Katy McClellan (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area) led the way with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting to go along with four rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
• Senior forward Kennedy Guest-Pritchett (Fairburn, Ga./The Lawrenceville School) recorded her 14th double-double of the year, finishing with 12 points and 14 boards.
• Sophomore Elle Jo Whalen (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville High School) posted a career-high 15 points and seven rebounds.
• Senior Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary) chipped in with 12 points and a career-high nine assists.

USMMA HIGHLIGHTS

• Kaleigh D'Arcy finished with 23 points as the junior guard netted her 1,000th career point in the setback.
• Junior Taylor Hightower totaled 13 points and six boards.

GAME NOTES

• The Pioneers improve to 2-0 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and 2-1 overall.
• Smith won the battle of the boards, 43-28.
• The Pioneers shot 50% (32-of-64) from the field but just 31.3% (5-of-16) from three-point range.
• The Mariners were 32.1% (17-of-53) from the floor and shot 22.2% (2-of-9) from long distance.

HOW IT HAPPENED
A lay-up from Whalen 2:42 into the first quarter gave the Pioneers a 7-2 lead. Two free throws from Julia Dahlke brought the Mariners within one, 9-8, before Smith closed out the quarter on a 10-2 run over the final 4:42. McClellan finished the opening stanza with seven points as the Pioneers led 19-10 after one.

With a 23-13 lead at the 8:45 mark, Bondi buried a three-pointer which ignited an 8-0 run, giving Smith a 31-13 lead midway through the second period. Guest-Pritchett's lay-up with 1:51 remaining allowed the Pioneers to enjoy their largest lead of the half, 40-19, but four points from D'Arcy to end the quarter made it 49-23 game at halftime.

A trey from D'Arcy 1:26 into the third quarter cut the lead to 13 (45-32) before an 8-0 run from the Pioneers gave them a comfortable cushion at 53-32. Two free throws by D'Arcy with 11 seconds left in the quarter sent the game to the fourth with Smith ahead 59-43.


The Pioneers outscored USMMA 15-8 in the fourth en route to the 74-51 final.

UP NEXT
The Pioneers will face the winner of Hunter vs. Bowdoin on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championships.



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.