NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The top-seeded Smith College basketball team is moving on to their second-straight New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference game after defeating the WPI Engineers, 63-35 Friday evening in Ainsworth Gymnasium. The Pioneers outscored the Engineers 21-4 in the second quarter and kept their foot on the gas in the second half to soar to the 28-point victory. 

Smith, who is ranked No. 17 in the latest D3hoops.com poll, improves to 22-2 on the year and a perfect 12-0 record at home. It was also head coach Lynn Hersey's 250th career win. WPI, ranked fifth in the most recent NCAA Division III Region II ranks, holds out hope for a Pool C bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

Top Performers

• Dashelle Gleissner (Los Angeles, Calif./Serra) led the way with 14 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals
• Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) added 11 points, seven boards and three assists
• Morgan Morrison (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) poured in 12 points, eight rebounds and three steals off the bench
• For WPI, Lisa Cristiano finished with nine points

How it Happened
A slow start on offense found Smith trailing 11-4 midway through the first. An 8-2 run to end the quarter on five points from Morrison and a trey from Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, Calif./Fairmont Prep Academy) made it 13-12 in favor of WPI at the end of the opening period. 

Smith's hot offense and stifling defense broke open the game as a three-pointer from Gleissner with under 30 seconds to go made it 33-17 at the half. 

The Pioneers maintained its lead throughout the third and dashed all hopes of a comeback with a strong fourth quarter where they outscored the Engineers 16-5. 

Smith shot 45.8% from the field, 33.3 percent from long distance and 666.7 percent from the free throw line. WPI was held to 30.4 percent shooting from the field and made just 1-of-14 from three-point range.

Up Next
Smith advances to the NEWMAC Championship where they will meet second-seeded Babson College, who took out Springfield College, 70-53, in the other semifinal game. Smith beat the Beavers in the regular season, 72-63.
 
The NEWMAC Championship is scheduled to tip-off at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 27. Smith College students will enter for free. 
Adults - $5
Seniors - $3
Students - $1

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.