SPRINGFIELD - The Smith College basketball team overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to secure a 72-71 double overtime win against Springfield College on Saturday afternoon in Blake Arena. 

In the non-conference matchup, the 15th-ranked Pioneers improved to 10-2 on the year, while Springfield, which was receiving votes in the D3hoops.com National Poll, moved to 10-3 overall. 

The contest got to overtime when Smith's Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) drained a fadeaway baseline jumper  at the buzzer to tie the game at 61-all. 

Inside the Numbers

• Ruffner finished with an impressive 29 points with eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals
• Jane Loo (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) and Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, CA/Fairmont Prep Academy) each contributed 15 points 
• Smith shot 40.9% (27-of-66) from the floor, 27.8% (5-of-18) from three-point range and 68.4% (13-of-19) from the free-throw line
• Springfield shot 44.3% (27-of-61) from the field, 23.5% (4-of-17) from long distance, and 72.2% (13-of-18) from the free throw line 
• Rachel Vinton netted a career-high 27 points and grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds to go along with five assists, three steals, and two blocks
• Smith has won six-straight over the Pride

Game Highlights

• The Pioneers used a 5-0 scoring spurt to take a 12-8 lead at the 3:12 mark of the opening quarter as Loo drilled a triple and then delivered a steal and score for the visitors. After Claire Finney answered with a wing three, Smith closed out the period on a 6-2 burst to own an 18-13 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
• Another inside finish from Loo at 7:53 allowed the Pioneers to lead 20-17, but a pull up jumper by Jaelen Daubon would kickstart a 15-0 scoring spree by the Pride over a 4:03 span as Springfield's lead ballooned to 32-20. With 2:36 left in the half, Ruffner connected on a turnaround jumper to make it a 34-27 ballgame, but Vinton answered with back-to-back layups. Springfield would take a 41-28 lead into the halftime break thanks to Amanda Leary pulling up for a deep three at the horn.
• A driving layup from Leary at the 8:00 minute mark allowed the Pride to go up 47-35, only to have Smith pour on an 8-0 burst, including seven points from Ruffner, to trim the lead to 47-43 with 2:47 on the clock. The Pride would push its lead back to 53-45 on back-to-back scores from Daubon, but Ruffner finished in the lane inside the final 30 seconds to make ita  53-47 game heading into the fourth. 
• Vinton drilled a step back jumper with just over six minutes left in regulation to help Springfield regain a double-digit lead at 59-49.  However, the Pride missed its next six shots and a pair of free throws before a crafty finish from Yamada with 1:52 on the clock knotted the game up at 59.  Vinton would be fouled with five seconds left, and after drilling both freebies, Smith called consecutive timeouts to set up a final play.  Ruffner came up in a big spot, drilling a step back, fadeaway jumper on the baseline as the horn sounded to send the game to an extra session.  
• Smith gained a 67-63 lead with under a minute to play, but Vinton would knock down four free throws, including a pair with 20 seconds left to tie things up.  Ruffner was unable to pull off a game-winning shot in the waning seconds as the teams headed into a second overtime.  
• Leary came up with Springfield's first field goal in over 15 minutes when she knocked down a step back with 1:16 on the clock to tie the game up at 69, but Yamada converted a three-point play the next time down to put the visitors up for good. Vinton cashed in on two from the line to make it a one point game, and after Smith was unable to convert on its next possession, Springfield had a chance to win the game, but a turnover and steal by Yamada in the final seconds sealed the contest. 

Up Next
The Pioneers host Hamilton (12-2) on Tuesday, January 9 at 6:00pm. 

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.

(Portions of this recap courtesy to Springfield Athletics)