BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team dropped its first contest of the season, falling 90-62 to Smith College Saturday evening.
Five players for Smith finished in double figures, including Paulina Solis (Santa Ana, Calif.) with a team-high 17 points. Devon Quattrochi had 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H.) and Amanda Zakoske (Jacksonville, Fla.) each scored 15 for Smith, with Bethany Claps (Staten Island, N.Y.) adding ten points and six boards.
Alexandria Lanieri (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) led all scorers with 20 points for the Hawks to go along with six rebounds. Kaitlyn Bovee (Berlin, Conn.) added 17 points and six boards, while Elizabeth Kilzi (Waverly, Pa.) finished with seven points and four assists.
Smith opened with a pair of free throws by Zakoskie and would go on to lead the whole way from that point. The Hawks pulled to within two (8-10) but fall behind by 11 on a 9-0 Pioneer run. RWU came back to within six (15-21) on a layup by Lanieri, but Smith continued to put the pressure on the Hawks, building the lead back up to double digits.
Quattrochi gave Smith its largest lead of the half with 1:15 to play, a 22-point advantage off of a pair of free throws to make it 49-27.
In the second half, Roger Williams attempted a valiant comeback early on. The Hawks were able to trim a 21-point deficit into to ten, opening the period on a 15-4 run over the first six minutes (45-55). Yet the Pioneers responded with a 12-2 run of their own to build the lead back up to 20.
The deficit amounted to be too much for RWU to overcome, as Smith came away with the 28-point win.
The Pioneers took advantage of 18 Hawk turnovers to score 26 points off of the miscues. Smith also capitalized on the run and in the paint, scoring 14 fast break points and 44 points in the box.
Roger Williams (1-1) plays its final home game on Tuesday against Suffolk before an eight-game road trip that extends into the New Year. Smith (1-0) will also play host to Middlebury on Tuesday.