WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - The Smith College basketball team received 16 points off the bench from sophomore guard Amelia Clairmont (Laconia, N.H./New Hampton School) in a 62-57 win over Eastern Connecticut State University Thursday evening.

The Pioneers continue their strong start to the season with a 6-1 record, while the Warriors drop to 3-4.

Top Performers

• Clairmont's season-high came on 6-16 shooting, including 3-8 from three-point range
• Sophomore Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) finished with 13 points, three rebounds and three steals
• Senior Katelyn Pickunka (Westhampton, Mass./Hampshire) registered her third double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 boards

Game Highlights

• Trailing 9-4, Smith responded with a 5-0 run on a three-pointer from Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, Calif./Fairmont Prep Academy) and layup by Ruffner to knot things up at nine
• Ruffner would end up scoring the last six points for the Pioneers in the first while an and-one opportunity and layup from Eastern resulted in a 14-13 lead for the Warriors after 10 minutes
• Leading by four with under three minutes left, foul trouble by the Warrior defense helped lead to a 10-0 run for Smith College which started with a three by Yamada before four consecutive free throws by Dashelle Gleissner (Los Angeles, Calif./Serra) and Pickunka saw the Pioneers take a three-point lead with 1:19 remaining
• Another three by Clairmont put Smith ahead by six, 32-26 heading into the break
• In the third, Smith stretched their lead to as many as seven on two occasions and would head into the final period leading 48-45
• The Pioneers controlled the fourth and converted 6-of-8 free thrown down the stretch to seal Eastern's fate

Up Next
Smith closes out the semester with a 7:00 p.m. home game on Tuesday, December 7 against Williams.

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.