#5 Smith (24-1) vs Emerson (14-11)

Game 26 | NEWMAC Tournament Quarterfinals

Wednesday, February 25 - 7:00pm

Ainsworth Gymnasium | Northampton, MA

GameDay Quick Facts
Television: The game will be live streamed on FloCollege
Live Stats | Tickets

Notables

• CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS: Smith captured its fifth-consecutive regular season championship with an undefeated 11-0 record
• RANKING: Smith enters the postseason ranked No. 5 in the WBCA Coaches' Poll, No. 7 in the D3hoops.com Top 25, and No. 1 in the region
• HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: The Bears are 14-0 inside Ainsworth Gymnasium this season
• CHASING HISTORY: Smith is going for a NEWMAC record sixth-straight NEWMAC Championship
• PRIMED FOR PLAYOFFS: Smith has won its last 13 NEWMAC Tournament contests dating back to 2019, a 48-46 setback to Springfield

Scouting the Bears

• The Smith offense leads the NEWMAC in scoring (74.4ppg), defense (49.2ppg), while outscoring opponents by 25.2 points per game
• The Bears also rank first in field goal percentage (.469), field goal percentage defense (.320), three-point percentage (.403 - 1st in NCAA), three-point defense (.246), free throw percentage (.754) and rebound margin (+10.8/game)
• Virginia Johnson (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest) leads the Bears, averaging 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.4 assists per game. She shoots 48.3 percent from the field, including 44.4% from long distance
• Preseason All-American point guard Hannah Martin (North Andover, MA/North Andover) is averaging 9.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game
• Felicia Fongemie (Ashford, CT/Marianapolis Prep) is the only other player scoring in double figures at 10.0 points per game
• Head coach Lynn Hersey won her 350th game at Smith on January 31 against Springfield and is 21-8all-time in the NEWMAC Tournament

Scouting the Opponent

• The Bears are 12-5 all-time against the Lions and have won the last six meetings. 
• The two teams have met once before in the NEWMAC Tournament (2020) with Smith defeating the Lions 
• In the regular season meeting on February 11 in Boston, Smith outscored Emerson 51-16 in the second half en route to a 73-41 win. Virginia Johnson (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest) posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds
• The Lions rank fifth in the NEWMAC in scoring offense with 64.7 points per game, while ranking eighth in scoring defense at 62.7 points per game. 
• The Lions are ranked 13^th nationally in three-point percentage and 21^st with their NEWMAC-high 8.0 three-point field goals per contest, pulling down a NEWMAC-best 31.2 defensive rebounds per game to rank 14^th nationally.
• Emerson is led by its all-time leading scorer in program history in senior preseason All-American Bri Frongillo, the reigning NEWMAC Athlete of the Year and two-time All-NEWMAC pick, with 19.1 points per game to rank third in the Conference on 42-percent shooting (4^th), including 38.9% from three-point distance (5^th), while shooting a NEWMAC-best 90.3% from the free-throw line – good for fourth nationally in Division III.
• Sophomore guard Jessie Silk has posted a team-high eight double-doubles and contributes 14.5 points (6^th NEWMAC) and team-high 9.4 rebounds (4^th) with 2.7 assists (12^th) and 1.1 steals per game. 
   

2026 NEWMAC Women's Basketball Tournament

Wednesday, February 25
Quarterfinals (hosted by higher seeds
#8 Emerson (14-11, 5-6 NEWMAC) at #1 Smith (24-1, 11-0 NEWMAC), 7 p.m.
#7 Coast Guard (13-12, 5-6 NEWMAC) at #2 Babson (17-8, 9-2 NEWMAC), 7 p.m.
#6 WPI (15-10, 6-5 NEWMAC) at #3 Clark (17-8, 8-3 NEWMAC), 7 p.m.
#5 Springfield (15-10, 6-5 NEWMAC) at #4 MIT (14-11, 8-3 NEWMAC), 7 p.m.

Friday, February 27
Semifinals (hosted by highest remaining seed)
Springfield/MIT winner vs. Emerson/Smith winner, TBA
WPI/Clark winner vs. Coast Guard/Babson winner, TBA

Sunday, March 1
Championship (at highest remaining seed)
Semifinal winners, TBA 

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 GoSmithBears.com and follow us on Facebook, and  Instagram.