DARTMOUTH - The No. 4 Smith basketball team dropped a 70-65 decision to UMass Dartmouth in the championship game of the Lafrance Hospitality Women's Basketball Tournament Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Pioneers dip to 3-1 on the year. Senior guard
Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, CA/Fairmont Prep Academy) was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Inside the Numbers
- Yamada finished with a team-high 18 points to go along with five assists
- Sofia Rosa (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury), Selam Maher (Hopkins, MN/St. Louis Park) and Jane Loo (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) each scored nine points
- Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) led the Pioneers with 10 rebounds
- Smith was outrebounded 35-33
- The Pioneers shot 44.8% (26-of-58) from the floor, 47.4% (9-of-19) from three-point range and 57.1% (4-of-7) from the free throw line
Game Highlights
- Amelia Clairmont (Laconia, N.H./New Hampton School) knocked down a three on Smith's opening possession and Rosa scored twice as the the Pioneers jumped out to a 7-2 lead less than two minutes into the contest. A three-pointer by Kaylin Zalewski brought the Corsairs to within three, 12-9, but Smith would take a 19-12 advantage into the second period.
- A layup by Carly Whiteside put UMass Dartmouth ahead 22-21 with 4:31 remaining, however, Smith would close the half on a 12-6 run to hold a 33-28 lead at the break.
- Smith stayed on top for the entire third quarter until a trey by Amaris Mills with nine seconds on the clock gave the Corsairs a 48-46 edge
- The home team would take the momentum into the fourth and build a 12 point lead with 4:54 remaining on another Mills three-pointer. Smith began their comeback and Yamada drained back-to-back threes to get her team within two with 51 seconds left, but free throws down the stretch for UMass Dartmouth proved to be the difference maker
Up Next
Smith returns to the court on Sunday, November 26 at 2:00pm when the Pioneers host No. 11 Trinity in a match up of last season's Elite 8 game.
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 and Instagram.
