NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The Smith College basketball team used a dominant third quarter to pull away from Vassar, 80-55, on the opening day of the Tyler Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday afternoon in Ainsworth Gymnasium.
The 23rd-ranked Pioneers came away victorious in their first home game of the season and improve to 2-0 while the Brewers start 0-1 on the year.
Top Performers
- Sophomore Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) led a balanced Smith attack with 17 points, nine rebounds and two assists, while senior Katelyn Pickunka (Westhampton, Mass./Hampshire) finished with 15 points and nine boards
- First-year Jane Loo (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) came off the bench to score 12 points in her season debut
- Sophomore Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, Calif./Fairmont Prep Academy) dished out a game-best six assists
Game Highlights
- A back-and-forth first quarter saw seven lead changes as Smith held a 21-16 advantage at the end of the first stanza
- In the second, the Pioneers lead grew to as large as nine before a layup from Tova Gelb tied the game at 30-30 with 2:23 left in the half
- A three-pointer by Ruffner and layup from Pickunka put Smith up 37-33 at the half
- Coming out of the break, Smith used a 14-0 surge, and carried a commanding 59-41 lead into the fourth quarter
- Smith pushed their advantage to as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the win
Game Notes
- Smith improves to 9-4 all-time against the Brewers
- The Pioneers locked down Vassar defensively, holding the visitors to 28.6% shooting for the game and held a 54-24 advantage on the boards
- 10 student-athletes scored for Smith which made 13-of-15 free throws
Up Next
Smith will play Rowan at 4:00 p.m.on Sunday in the finale of the two-day tournament.
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
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