NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Mandy Castro established a new career high with 14 points to help the top-seeded Smith College basketball team to the 2014 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Basketball Championship title game with a 64-58 triumph over fifth-seeded Babson, the five-time defending conference tournament champions, on Saturday in the first semifinal held inside Ainsworth Gym on Saturday.
 
Smith (16-10) moves on to play sixth-seeded Springfield tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Babson closes out the 2013-14 campaign with a 14-13 ledger. Entering today's game, the Beavers held a 4-0 record in postseason meetings, including victories in the 2011 and 2012 championship games.
 
Castro came off the bench to shoot 4-for-7 from the floor with a pair of triples and went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. Paulina Solis added 17 points and five steals while Lauren Weston paced the Pioneers with nine rebounds. Rosa Drummond contributed nine points and seven boards.
 
Jennifer Narlee led all student-athletes with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting as Linett Garber stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, nine rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block. Erin Young also chipped in with eight points for the Beavers.
 
Trailing by five (15-10) with 12:13 left in the first half, Castro sank a triple to spark an 11-0 run which was capped by a Solis layup with just under nine minutes left in the frame. Babson later embarked on a 12-0 spurt that began with three consecutive scores by Narlee as the Beavers took a 31-27 advantage with just over four minutes to go in the stanza. Smith regained the lead for the remainder of the contest courtesy of a pair of freebies by Jade Chihara with just over two minutes to go before the break.
 
After Jazmine Collins gave the hosts a 49-41 lead with 13:23 left in the game, neither team made a basket over the next 3:14 until Babson's Jess Coelho made a layup with just over 10 minutes to play. The Beavers made it a two-point game with 4:03 left following a free throw by Kristen Ferola. Giovanna Pickering brought the guest within two for the final time with a layup as 2:59 showed on the scoreboard. Solis and Castro combined for six made free throws down the stretch for the 64-58 final.


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