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Morrison Action
65
Emerson EMERS 15-11,3-5 NEWMAC
77
Winner Smith SMI 22-4,7-3 NEWMAC
Emerson EMERS
15-11,3-5 NEWMAC
65
Final
77
Smith SMI
22-4,7-3 NEWMAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Emerson EMERS 20 15 18 12 65
Smith SMI 19 23 15 20 77

Game Recap: Basketball |

No. 3 Basketball Advances to NEWMAC Semis With 77-65 Win Over No. 6 Emerson

NEED TO KNOW:
Score: No. 3 Smith 77,  No. 6 Emerson 65
Records: Pioneers 22-4, Lions 15-11

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The No. 3 seeded Smith College basketball team used a strong fourth quarter to defeat No. 6 Emerson College by a 77-65 final on Wednesday night in Ainsworth Gymnasium in the first round of the NEWMAC Championship.

BY THE NUMBERS
  • First-year Morgan Morrison (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) recorded her second double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
  • Sophomore Katelyn Pickunka (Westhampton, Mass./Hampshire) posted her sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 boards.
  • First-year Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) led the Pioneers in scoring with 15 points, three rebounds and three assists.
  • Emerson's Quinn Madded finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening 2:19 on buckets from Kate Foultz and Natalie Clydesdale. Elle Jo Whalen (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville High School) tied the game for Smith but the visitors responded with back-to-back three-pointers to go ahead 14-8 with 4:54 on the clock. Smith would close out the final 3:27 of the period on a 9-4 run to trail 20-19 heading into the second quarter.

With the gamed tied at 33 late in the second, Smith outscored the visitors 9-2 to go into halftime up 42-35. Smith shot 64.3% in the quarter led by Morrison's six points.

A layup from Sam Boyle started the third as the Lions would pull within five on three different occasions in the opening 1:26. A layup from Whalen kickstarted the Smith offense as their lead grew to 11 points (53-42) midway through the period. Emerson would chip away and come to within two points, 55-53 before a jumper from Emma Zener (Fullerton, Calif./La Habra High School) in the paint closed out the quarter.

Smith opened the fourth with a jumper from Ruffner and a trey from Zener to give them a 62-53 edge with 8:40 to play. Emerson would get as close as four (68-64) on a pair of free throws by Rachel Davey, but the Pioneers received back-to-back baskets from Ruffner and Clairmont and were able to convert 3-of-4 free throws in the final two minutes.


GAME NOTES
  • Smith improves to 7-5 all-time against Emerson and is undefeated at home against the Lions
  • The Pioneers will be making their fourth-consecutive appearance in the conference semifinals Friday evening
  • Smith shot 48.3% (29-of-60) from the floor, 23.1% (3-of-13) from three-point range, and 57.1% (16-of-28) from the free throw line.
  • The Lions shot 41.7% (25-of-60) from the field, 25.0% (5-of-20) from behind the arc, and 62.5% (10-of-16) at the charity stripe.
  • The Pioneers owned a 42-28 advantage on the boards racked up 50 points in the paint.

UP NEXT
Smith returns to action on Friday, February 28th as the Pioneers travel to second-seeded Springfield College for the NEWMAC semifinals beginning at 7:30 p.m.



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.  



 
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