NORTHAMPTON - The 15th-ranked Smith basketball team will face Babson College in the NEWMAC title game Sunday at 1:00pm inside Ainsworth Gymnasium. The meeting will mark the third-straight year the two teams will meet in the championship game. The Pioneers are 24-3 on the year, while the Beavers are 15-12 this season. The winner of Sunday's contest will earn the NEWMAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will learn who they will play in next Friday's opening round during Monday's 2:30 p.m. selection show.

Last Meeting

• Smith earned a 64-50 win on January 17
• Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, CA/Fairmont Prep Academy) turned in a game-high 18 points and knocked down four 3-pointers, while Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds
• For Babson, Chloe Perreault scored 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting and grabbed nine boards
• The Beavers shot 38.6 percent from the floor while holding Smith to a season-low 35.5 percent shooting. The Pioneers outscored the Green and White 15-2 at the free throw line and finished with a 41-34 edge on the glass. 

Postseason History

• 2023 NEWMAC Final - Smith 67 Babson 52
• 2022 NEWMAC Final - Smith 68 Babson 46
• 2017 NEWMAC Semifinal - Smith 59 Babson 83
• 2014 NEWMAC Semifinal - Smith 64 Babson 58
• 2012 NEWMAC Final - Smith 51 Babson 74
• 2011 NEWMAC Final - Smith 49 Babson 74

Series History

• Smith is 18-40 all-time in a series that dates back to the 1982-83 season
• The Pioneers have won five-straight and are 11-17 at home

Scouting the Pioneers

• Second-seeded Smith has three 1,000 point scorers this season in Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin), Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, CA/Fairmont Prep Academy), and Sofia Rosa (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury)
• The Pioneers advanced to the NEWMAC Championship game by defeating Clark in the quarterfinals and MIT in the semifinals
• Head coach Lynn Hersey has led the Pioneers to 12 postseason tournaments and seven appearances in the title game
• Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, CA/Fairmont Prep Academy) leads the team in scoring at 15.0 points per game and has made 85 three-pointers this season
• Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) is averaging career-highs in points (13.3), rebounds (9.1) and assists (4.6) and shoots 59.3% from the field
• In the frontcourt, Sofia Rosa (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) scores 14.0 points per game and grabs 7.3 rebounds per contest
• Smith leads the NCAA Division III in field goal percentage (50%) and 3-point field goal percentage (40.1%)

Scouting the Beavers

• Fifth-seeded Babson (15-12) has won four consecutive games and upset top-seeded Springfield 64-59 in OT in Friday night's semifinals. 
• Katelyn Mollica scored 17 points and classmate Emily Flynn added 13 points, which includes the go-ahead free throws with 2:11 left in the extra-session for the Beavers, who shot 42.9 percent and got at least six points from six different players. 
• Kelly Walsh (15.6 pts, 4.0 reb, 3.8 ast, 2.0 stl) leads the team in scoring, assists and steals, Mollica (12.9 pts, 2.9 reb) ranks fourth in the league with 67 three-point field goals and first-year Samantha Reale (9.1 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.8 stl) has scored in double figures eight times in 14 games against NEWMAC foes. 
•  Babson ranks 23rd in Division III in three-point field goal percentage (33.8) and is second in the conference in field goal defense (35.1 percent) and third in the NEWMAC in scoring defense allowing just 56.2 points per 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, Instagram, and Twitter.