BOSTON, Mass. - The Smith College basketball team cruised past Emerson College, 79-34, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tilt on Wednesday evening. 

Smith, who entered the game ranked No. 20 in the most recent D3hoops.com National Poll, adds another victory to the win column and sits at 20-2 and are 9-0 in league play. Emerson drops to 8-14, 4-5. The Pioneers shot 52.4 percent from the field on 33-of-63 shooting and outrebounded the hosts 45-23.

Top Performers

• The Pioneers had four players in double figures as Morgan Morrison (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) led all scorers with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting. She collected 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year
• The efficient scoring continued as Katelyn Pickunka (Westhampton, Mass./Hampshire) went 5-of-7 with 14 points and nine boards
• Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) added 13 points, while Amelia Clairmont (Laconia, N.H./New Hampton School) chipped in 11
• Emerson was led by Chelsea Gibbons' nine points and four steals

How it Happened
Smith did not waste any time building a lead as the Pioneers opened up the contest on an 18-2 run highlighted by Ruffner's seven points. Emerson converted two free thrown in the final seconds of the quarter as Smith took a 30-10 lead after the opening period.

The Pioneers shot 40.0 percent from the field in the second stanza as Morrison's six points and three rebounds in the second quarter put Smith up 42-18 at the break.

In the third quarter, Smith outscored its opponent, 20-8, by shooting 9-of-20 from the field. 

The fourth quarter continued to be controlled by the Pioneers as their largest lead of the game, 79-32 came with under a minute to go. 

Up Next
Smith will host Wellesley College in the final game of the regular season Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Prior to the game, Smith will honor its four seniors: Dashelle Gleissner (Los Angeles, Calif./Serra), Katelyn Pickunka (Westhampton, Mass./Hampshire), Kyra Rideout (Hinsdale, N.H./Vermont Academy) and Elle Jo Whalen (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville)

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.