NORTHAMPTON - The four-time defending NEWMAC champion Smith College basketball team begins their defense of the conference crown on Wednesday night, as the top-seeded Pioneers take on eighth-seeded Coast Guard inside Ainsworth Gymnasium in quarterfinal action beginning at 7:00pm.
Tickets for NEWMAC championship events can be purchased through the
NEWMAC box office. Fans are encouraged to purchase their mobile tickets in advance of the event to streamline the entry process on game day. Spectators may purchase mobile tickets on site, but no cash option will be available. Ticket prices are $10 for general admission. Children under 12 and NEWMAC students with a valid institutional ID are free and do not need to purchase a mobile ticket. Once a matchup is confirmed following each round of the championship the tickets will become available.
If you can't make it to the game, live stats and a live video stream will be available by following the links on the Smith schedule page by
clicking here.
The Pioneers, ranked ninth nationally by the WBCA and D3hoops.com, enter the tournament in familiar territory as the NEWMAC's top seed after finishing the regular season with a 23-2 overall make and a perfect 11-0 ledger in the NEWMAC. Smith is No. 1 among Region II rankings.
Smith boasts a balanced offensive attack that has been led all season by guard
Ally Landau (Livingston, NJ), who averages 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. She has scored in double-figures in 19 games and leads the team with 61 steals.
Hannah Martin (North Andover, MA/North Andover) pours in 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds with 65 assists and 43 steals per game has knocked down 46 three-pointers this season.
Shooting at a 45.9 percent clip as a team for the season (the best in the NEWMAC and eighth best in the country), Smith has been just as strong on the defensive end all season long, also coming in seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense at 31.2 percent. Smith has allowed opponents to score an average of just 46.4 points a game, as they've held the opposition to under 50 points 14 times throughout the year.
Coast Guard, the NEWMAC's number eight seed, comes into Wednesday's game with a 16-9 overall mark, finishing 5-6 in conference play throughout the season. The Bears have been led all season by Dorothy Stotts, who is the NEWMAC's second leading scorer entering the playoffs, averaging 18.4 points per game.
In the regular season, Smith topped Coast Guard 89-60 on February 5. Wednesday's game will mark the 22nd meeting between the two schools with Smith holding an 18-3 edge in the series. This is the first-ever meeting in the playoffs.
Quarterfinals: Wednesday, February 26 (at highest seeds)
No. 8 Coast Guard at No. 1 Smith – 7:00 p.m. |
Tickets
No. 7 WPI at No. 2 Babson – 7:00 p.m.
No. 6 MIT at No. 3 Springfield– 7:00 p.m.
No. 5 Salve Regina at No. 4 Emerson - 7:00 p.m.
Semifinals: Friday, February 28 (at highest remaining seed)
Winner No. 4/5 vs. Winner No. 1/8 – TBD
Winner No. 3/6 vs. Winner No. 2/7 – TBD
Championship: Sunday, March 2 (at highest remaining seed)
Semifinal Winners – TBD
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.
