NORTHAMPTON - A 13-5 run to end the second quarter gave Smith a lead it would not relinquish as it went on to defeat Coast Guard, 86-57, on Saturday afternoon in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference tilt in Ainsworth Gymnasium. 

The Pioneers, who have won 14 straight and are ranked No. 5 in the latest D3hoops.com and WBCA Top 25 Poll, improve to 20-1 overall and 6-0 in the NEWMAC. The Bears drop to 11-10 on the year and 3-3 in the conference. 

How it Happened

• After a back-and-forth start, Coast Guard came within one, 11-10, following a jumper by Lily Mika at the 6:39 mark. After a timeout by the Pioneers, a pair of free throws by Katelyn Pickunka (Westhampton, Mass./Hampshire) sparked a 16-6 run as Smith entered the second quarter ahead 27-16
• Yamada drained a three-pointer to start the second and Smith's lead grew to 24 points thanks to back-to-back buckets from Ella Sylvester (Everett, WA/Everett) to end the half up 51-27
• Smith maintained its comfortable lead throughout the third and Morgan Morrison (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) beat the buzzer to give the Pioneers a 73-44 advantage going into the fourth
• The final period saw Ellie Potvin (Holden, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) knock down two three-pointers as Smith cruised to victory 86-57

By the Numbers

• Morgan Morrison (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds
• Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) shot 6-of-8 from the field with two 3-pointers to finish with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists
• Dashelle Gleissner (Los Angeles, Calif./Serra) dished out seven assists and is just two away from 500 in her career
• The Pioneers led the way in rebounds (36-32), points in the paint (42-30), points off turnovers (20-8) and bench scoring (30-29)
• Smith shot 48.6% (35-of-72) from the floor, 34.5% (10-of-29) from three-point range, and 66.7% (6-of-9) at the charity stripe
• Coast Guard shot 38.7% (24-of-62), from the floor, 25%(2-of-8) from behind the arc, and 58.3% (7-of-12) from the free throw line
• This is the fifth straight 20-win season for the Pioneers

Up Next
Smith faces Springfield College on the road Wednesday, February 8 at 7:00pm. 

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.