NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Smith 53,  Springfield 72
Records: Pioneers 17-4, 3-3 NEWMAC, Pride 15-6, 6-0 NEWMAC

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The Smith College basketball team suffered their first home loss of the season as Springfield College came away with a 72-53 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) win Wednesday evening at Ainsworth Gymnasium.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• First-year Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) led the Pioneers with 12 points, three rebounds and three assists
• Classmate Amelia Clairmont (Laconia, N.H./New Hampton School) totaled 11 points
• Sophomore Dashelle Gleissner (Los Angeles, Calif./Serra) finished the game with seven steals and six assists
• Freshman Sam Hourihan scored a career-high 24 points for the visitors

HOW IT HAPPENED
Tied at 4-4 after a Breona Martin (Coquitlam, BC/Heritage Woods Secondary School) layup, Springfield embarked on a 5-0 run to take a 9-4 lead they would not relinquish. Morgan Morrison (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) went 1-for-2 at the free throw with 1:46 left in the quarter to pull the Pioneers to seven, 19-12, going into the second period.

An 11-0 run by the Pride to start the second put them in front 30-12 with 6:11 remaining. Katelyn Pickunka (Westhampton, Mass./Hampshire) and Ruffner responded with back-to-back buckets but the Pride's gap grew to 39-24 at the half. 

The Pride rattled off a 12-4 run to take their largest lead, 53-30, on a Taylor Hall layup with 2:27 on the clock. The Pioneers closed out the quarter on an 8-0 run as Clairmont connected on two three-pointers to make the score 53-38.

Springfield maintained their advantage for the fourth and would go on for the 72-53 victory.

GAME NOTES

• The Pride move to 35-14 all-time against the Pioneers and remain undefeated in league action
• Springfield outrebounded Smith by a 34-22 margin
• The Pioneers shot 37.9% (22-of-58) from the floor and 28.6% (6-of-21) from three-point range
• The Pride shot 55.4% (31-of-56) from the field and 31.3% (5-of-16) from behind the arc
• Smith suffers back-to-back losses for the first time this season

UP NEXT
Smith returns to action on Saturday, February 8th as the Pioneers host WPI for a 2:00 p.m. start.

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.