NORTHAMPTON - Junior guard Virginia Johnson (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest) has been named to the New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Honor Roll First Team after guiding the Smith College basketball team to a 2-0 week. Additionally, the Bears continue to be ranked nationally by the WBCA and D3hoops.com, checking in at No. 6 this week. February 2 also marked the first round of NCAA regional rankings where Smith was slotted No. 1 in Region 2. 

Johnson helped the Bears remain perfect in NEWMAC play with a pair of key home victories. Against Wellesley, she scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting with five rebounds. On Saturday versus Springfield, Johnson poured in a career-high 20 points to go with nine boards and six steals. For her efforts, she was named the NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week it was announced by the league office on Monday. 

Moving to 18-1 and 5-0 in the NEWMAC, the Bears are averaging 75.3 points per game and shooting 47.3% (523-of-1106) as a team from the field. Defensively, Smith is holding its opponents to 49.0 points per game for a +26.3 scoring margin. 

Players to Watch
Virginia Johnson (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest): 11.9ppg/6.5 rpg/35 steals
Felicia Fongemie (Ashford, CT/Marianapolis Prep): 10.2 ppg/1.5rpg
Uta Nakamura (Manhattan, NY/Long Island Lutheran): 10.0ppg/2.9rpg/2.5apg
Hannah Martin (North Andover, MA/North Andover): 8.6ppg/4.6rpg

With Smith's 18th win on Saturday, head coach Lynn Hersey reached 350 career victories at Smith. 

Up Next
Smith travels to Wheaton College Wednesday evening at 7:00pm

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