NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Smith 71,  Babson 79 OT
Records: Pioneers 17-3, 3-2 NEWMAC, Beavers 11-7, 4-0 NEWMAC

BABSON PARK, Mass. - Despite shooting a season-best 100% from the free-throw line, the Smith College basketball team was clipped in overtime by Babson, 79-71, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) battle on Saturday at Staake Gymnasium. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Sophomore Katelyn Pickunka (Westhampton, Mass./Hampshire) scored 16 points to go along with eight rebounds
• First-year Morgan Morrison (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) delivered another impressive game off the bench 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and six boards
• Sophomore Dashelle Gleissner (Los Angeles, Calif./Serra) led all players with eight assists

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Green and White knocked down five first-quarter three pointers and led by as many as eight on two occasions before settling for a 23-18 advantage after one. Despite making just two second quarter field goals, the Beavers went 4-of-6 at the free throw line and forced seven turnovers in the stanza sending the teams into halftime deadlocked at 31-31.
 
The Pioneers took a quick four-point lead to open the third quarter, but Jozefick canned consecutive triples and Hiller scored inside to cap an 8-0 run that put Babson back in front 39-35 with 6:03 to go in the frame. Smith drew back within three on back-to-back layups by Morrison, but the Green and White responded with a 9-2 run that included five more points from Jozefick to match its largest lead of the game at 55-47 with 6:37 to play in the fourth.
 
Pickunka and Clairmont combined for all the points during a 9-0 spurt that put Smith back in front 56-55, and Gleissner followed up a triple with two free throws to keep the visitors up one with 2:12 remaining. Hiller gave Babson a 62-61 lead on the ensuing possession, but Bohn answered right back with a three-pointer from the top of the key as the Pioneers regained a 64-62 lead with 1:40 to go. Bauman tied the game on the Beavers' next trip and the teams traded free throws on each of the next two possessions to forge a 66-66 tie with 41 seconds left.
 
Bauman blocked first-year Jessie Ruffner's (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) (Rocklin, Calif.) layup with 34 seconds to go, but Jozefick's late three-pointer wouldn't go down forcing overtime. The extra session was dominated by the Beavers, who took a 69-68 lead on Jozefick's triple and got a layup before the shot-clock buzzer by Bauman to make it a three-point game with 3:29 to play. The Green and White went 8-of-10 at the free throw line over the final 1:53 to put the game away.

GAME NOTES

• Babson improves to 40-13 all-time against the Pioneers
• Smith drops to 7-3 on the road this season
• The Pioneers shot 43.3% (29-of-67) from the floor and 26.3% (5-of-19) from three-point range. 
• The Beavers shot 38.5% (25-of-65) from the floor, 44% (11-of-25) from behind the arc, and 81.8% (18-of-22) at the free throw line.

UP NEXT
Smith will play again on Wednesday when it hosts Springfield at 7:00 p.m.

(Portions of this recap courtesy to Babson Athletics)

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.