NORTHAMPTON - Trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, the 11th-ranked Smith basketball team rallied to take a fourth quarter lead, but Springfield came back to beat the Pioneers, 70-68, in a key New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest Wednesday evening inside Ainsworth Gymnasium. 

Springfield, which snapped Smith's 37-game win streak against conference opponents, improved to 14-4 overall and 3-1 in NEWMAC action. Smith drops to 14-3, 3-1. 

Inside the Numbers

• Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) recorded her sixth double-double of the year with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. 
• Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, CA/Fairmont Prep Academy) poured in 21 points and knocked down three 3-pointers
• Selam Maher (Hopkins, MN/St. Louis Park) added 11 points, three rebounds and one assist off the bench
• The Pioneers, who lead all Division III in field goal percentage, shot 49.1% (26-of-53) from the field, 37.5% (6-of-16) from three-point range, and a season-best 90.9% (10-of-11) from the free throw line
• The Pride shot 50% (29-of-58) from the floor, 28.6% (4-of-14) from long distance, and 72.7% (8-of-11) from the free throw line 
• Springfield led the way in rebounds (27-23), points in the paint (46-30), and second-chance points (7-2)

Game Highlights

• The Pride wasted no time getting started and jumped out to an 8-0 lead at the 5:08 mark. Smith responded with back-to-back buckets by Yamada and Jane Loo (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga), but the visitors stretched their advantage to 10 and would go into the second period ahead 22-14. 
• Claire Finney's layup and three-pointer to start the second put Springfield up 27-14 with 7:23 on the clock, but a 7-0 run by the Pioneers got them within six (27-21) on Yamada's three-pointer. Ruffner scored Smith's final six points of the half as Springfield went into the break with a 34-27 advantage. 
• Smith shot a blistering 78.6% in the third quarter sparked by Maher's six points to give the Pioneers a 52-49 edge with one quarter left. 
• Trailing 61-55 with 5:47 to go, Jalen Daubon converted a layup followed by a three-pointer to pull her team within one, 63-62. Yamada's three-pointer tied the game at 68-68 and Rachel Vinton scored what proved to be the game-winning layup with 17 seconds on the clock. 

Up Next
Smith travels to Salve Regina on Saturday, January 27. Tip-off is set for 1:00pm.

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 and Instagram.