NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The 79th meeting between the Smith College Pioneers and the Mount Holyoke College Lyons lived up to every expectation a regular-season, New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference game in January can have.

Smith and Mount Holyoke went toe-to-toe in a low-scoring first half, locked horns in a defensive battle in the second half and settled the game on the final possession.

In the end, the Lyons stood tall as senior Lauren Weston (Florence, Mass./Northampton) drew contact, but not a call while her potential game-tying shot at the buzzer fell short in a 54-52 loss.

The win for Mount Holyoke is the first in 12 tries against Smith, improving their overall record to 6-12 and 3-6 in NEWMAC play. The Pioneers fall to 6-11 and 2-7 in conference play.

Mount Holyoke shot 55.6% from the field (10-of-18), and held Smith to just 29.7% (11-of-37) from the field to take a 29-25 advantage into the locker room.

At halftime, the Pioneers welcomed seven-year old Madison Conley to the Smith College family, in a special ceremony through their partnership with Team Impact.

Smith shored up its defense in the second half, opening up the half on an 11-2 run to take a 36-31 lead with 15:56 remaining in regulation. Mount Holyoke played strong defense as well and responded with 9-2 run of their own over the next six minutes of play.

The teams traded baskets and defensive stops like a pair of prize fighters in the closing minutes of the contest. Mount Holyoke's Amber Legare (Chicopee, Mass.) missed a front end free throw with seven seconds left, allowing the Pioneers to setup for a chance to win the game with the shot clock off.

The Pioneers had a chance to tie the contest, but Mount Holyoke's Nicole DeMarchena (Miami, Fla.) was there, rejecting the ball out of bounds with .08 seconds remaining. Smith had one more chance, but Weston's shot fell short.

Legare led the Lyons with a game-high 24 points and 14 rebounds while Kate Karraker (Morgantown, W.Va.) finished with 13 points and six boards. Samantha Alakai (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) led the Pioneers with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Meghan Holland (Atherton, Calif./Sacred Heart Prepatory) totaled 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The Pioneers return to action on Saturday at Emerson College (1 p.m.), while Mount Holyoke hosts Wellesley College on Saturday at 1 p.m.