Ally Yamada is mobbed in front of the Smith bench as Mary Washington walks off dejected following the Pioneer's game-winning buzzer beater. Photo by Pete Meshanic, d3photography.com

By Joe Sager
D3sports.com

Smith College turned a negative into a positive.

The Pioneers saw their 2022 NCAA Tournament end on an overtime buzzer beater at UW-Whitewater. Instead of letting the effects of that 78-76 loss linger into this season, they used it to fuel their drive to the national semifinals on Saturday.

“With how our season ended last year, I definitely think that motivated everyone to come back and take the next step,” Smith senior forward Morgan Morrison said. “The amount of pressure a team has to face in each round of the tournament, going through that once is very helpful. It prepared us for anything that may happen.”

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With most of the team returning this season, Smith built on its experience and knew it had something special.

“Getting to the Final Four and beyond was the goal,” Smith coach Lynn Hersey said. “We had six players defer after COVID hit and two more took graduate years so we could retain most of our team. Their willingness to pause their lives for a year, in terms of academic and career aspirations, to have another shot at this is great. It proved to work well and they are getting some return on their investment.

“We thought we had a great team. We just needed the experience we got last year. We hosted the first round and got to the Sweet 16. Those experiences were really key in making that next step.”

By hosting the first two tournament games last year, the Pioneers (30-1) understood how big of an advantage it can be, especially in the postseason. So, they worked hard to earn the right to host this year. They got to play their first four tournament games on their home floor.

“It’s a huge advantage,” Hersey said. “The goal this year was to put a schedule together with the strength that would put us in the conversation for that. We needed to perform consistently throughout the year. Playing these last two games at home, it’s everything. It’s such an advantage.”

The players were thrilled to be in familiar surroundings.

“It was extremely important to us,” Morrison said. “Our fan support is unlike anything else. They are able to give us the energy we need at critical points in the game.”

“The environment we were in changed everything,” Smith junior guard Ally Yamada said. “That support motivates me. Nobody wants to lose on their home court and nobody wants to see anybody cut your nets down.”

It wasn’t exactly easy for Smith, though. The team had a couple close calls when it held off St. John Fisher, 65-64, in the second round and Yamada’s 3-pointer at the horn gave the Pioneers a 68-65 overtime triumph over Mary Washington in the next game.  

“What has gotten us to where we are is our composure and ability to play through pressure and our willingness to want to win those games,” Yamada said. “I feel like it’s been pretty important having the experiences we’ve had. The NCAA Tournament is a whole different beast. The pressure is different. You’re literally playing your last game, potentially. Everyone wants to win.”

While Smith must hit the road for the first time in a month, it doesn’t have to go far. The team only has about a 45-minute bus ride from its Northampton, Mass., campus to Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, for its Saturday semifinal matchup with Transylvania (31-0).

“It’s all coming together for us,” Morrison said. “I know a lot of people will come back from break and, hopefully, everyone will want to come down and watch us play.”

Though it’s a road game, it’s still a familiar setting. The Pioneers played at Trinity on Nov. 27. Coincidentally, they beat Trinity, 63-46, in the quarterfinals.

“We play at Trinity every year and it’s not too far away. We are familiar with their gym. There are not a lot of unknowns for us there,” Hersey said. “We’re just trying to get to know all about Transylvania. The familiarity with Trinity affords us the extra time to get to work on that, which is nice.”

The Pioneers hope their balance continues to pay off, too. Morrison leads the team in scoring at 17.0 points per game, while Yamada (10.9), Jessie Ruffner (9.8), Katelyn Pickunka (9.7) and Amelia Clairmont (9.6) are regular contributors.

“That’s the X factor – how we compete and how balanced we are. That’s where the consistency comes from. It’s not like one player doing it all every single game,” Hersey said. “We know we have probably six scorers who can go off at any point. As long as three of them are on, we are in good shape. We have a great inside-out game, too.”

“Playing as a team is what has gotten us this far,” Yamada said. “When some of us have gotten in foul trouble our not playing our best games, others have picked it up. We have that trust. We’re winning this together.”