NORTHAMPTON - In front of an electric, packed home crowd, the No. 5 Smith College basketball team opened its 2026-27 campaign in thrilling fashion to earn a 56-53 win over Immaculata University in the opening game of the 35th Annual Tyler Tip-Off Tournament Saturday evening. Prior to the game, Smith hosted the first ever NCAA Division III Women's Basketball College Gameday event live from the Birthplace.
Game Highlights
- Summer Warren (Canton, MA/Brooks School) put the Bears on the board with a layup at 6:31, and after Lianna Adames hit a 3-pointer for Immaculata, Uta Nakamura (Manhattan, NY/Long Island Lutheran) answered from beyond the arc to give the Bears a 5-3 lead at 6:09. The Mighty Macs moved back in front 7-5 on a Sabrina Little free throw and Abby Grillo 3-pointer, but Selam Maher's (St.Louis Park, MN/St. Louis Park) layup at 3:25 began a 9-0 Bears run that also included a Gabriella Mittelman (Glen Rock, NJ/Northern Valley Demarest) 3-pointer, Warren's layup and free throw, and a Nakamura free throw. Little scored inside with 21 seconds left, and Bre'Aria Cannon (Christiana, TN/Link Academy) split two free throws at :04 to send the Bears into the second quarter ahead 15-9.
- Carly Coleman opened the second-quarter scoring for Immaculata before Warren finished a Mittelman feed at 7:56 to put the Bears ahead 17-11. The Mighty Macs answered with baskets from Coleman and Julia Pohl, then Abby Grillo hit a 3-pointer at 6:32 to give the visitors an 18-17 lead. Mittelman put the Bears back in front with a layup at 5:57, and Nakamura added a 3-pointer off Kate Hackney's (Thousand Oaks, CA/Bishop Alemany) assist for a 22-18 edge before Katie McGuigan brought Immaculata within 22-21 from beyond the arc. The Bears added layups from Mya Williams (Temple City, CA/Bishop Amat Memorial), Nakamura and Mittelman — the last after Hackney's steal — before Lianna Adames hit a late 3-pointer, leaving the Bears ahead 28-24 at halftime.
- Adames hit a 3-pointer to bring the margin to 28-27, but Nakamura answered with a steal and fast-break layup that put the Bears ahead 30-27 at 7:57. The Bears then went nearly five minutes without a field goal, and Immaculata used 3-pointers from Adames and Abby Grillo, a Grillo layup and a Julia Pohl bucket to move in front 37-30. Bre'Aria Cannon (Christiana, TN/Link Academy) ended the Bears' drought with a free throw at 3:17, and after another Adames 3 made it 40-31, Nakamura scored the final six Bears points on a 3-pointer, a layup and a free throw. The Bears held Immaculata scoreless over the final 2:54 but entered the fourth quarter trailing 40-37.
- Williams converted a layup and free throw after the Mighty Macs moved ahead 42-37, and Felicia Fongemie's (Ashford, CT/Marianapolis Prep) 3-pointer off Mittelman's steal and assist put the Bears in front 43-42 at 7:52. After Carly Coleman put Immaculata back ahead 44-43, the Bears answered with an 8-0 run, getting a Williams layup, two Hannah Martin (North Andover, MA/North Andover) free throws, a Mittelman fast-break layup and a Martin fast-break layup to move ahead 51-44. Immaculata worked back within one on Lianna Adames' jumper at 3:55 and tied it 53-53 on Meg Robbins' free throw with 1:52 left. Nakamura and Kate Hackney (Thousand Oaks, CA/Bishop Alemany) each made a free throw at :34, Martin came up with a steal at :15, and Fongemie added a late free throw before the Bears closed out a 56-53 win.
By the Numbers
- Senior guard Uta Nakamura (Manhattan, NY/Long Island Lutheran) led Smith's comeback on Saturday night, scoring 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, hitting three triples in the win to go with four rebounds and four steals
- First-year guard Gabriella Mittelman (Glen Rock, NJ/Northern Valley Demarest) added nine points off the bench, while junior forward Mya Williams (Temple City, CA/Bishop Amat Memorial) finished with seven points and a team-best nine boards
- Senior guard Hannah Martin (North Andover, MA/North Andover) sits three points shy of 1,000 in her career
- Smith shot just 34.5% from the floor and 31.3% from three-point range
- Immaculata went 38.2% from the field and 36% from long distance
- This was the first even meeting between these two historic programs
Up Next
Smith hosts St. Lawrence University on Sunday, November 8 at 4:00pm
About Smith Athletics Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information, log on to GoSmithBears.com and follow the Bears on Facebook and Instagram.
