BOSTON - A breakout game from sophomore Jade Chihara (Lahaina, Hawaii/Lahainaluna)led the Smith College basketball team to a near comeback at the Bobbi Brown & Steven Plofker Gym Saturday afternoon, but the effort fell short in the final minutes as the Pioneers dropped a 66-61 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) decision to the Lions of Emerson College.

Chihara scored a career-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 1-of-2 from three. First-year Samantha Alakai (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) added 15 points and four rebounds while classmate Paige Marquez (San Francisco, Calif./Saint Ignatius College Preparatory) chipped in 12 points. Sophomore Mandy Castro (San Diego, Calif./Poway) set a new personal best with five steals.

After trailing for the opening six and a half minutes of the game, the Pioneers took a short-lived two-point lead, 9-7, at the 13:12 mark off a pair of Alakai layups.

Emerson took the lead right back, but a pair of free throws by Alakai with 3:52 on the clock silenced the Lion crowd and brought the Pioneers back within three, 22-19. Emerson, however, closed out the half with an 11-3 spurt to take a 33-22 lead into intermission.

Smith opened the second half on a 9-2 run, highlighted by four points each from Chihara and Marquez to close the gap to four (35-31) with 16:50 to play. The Lions answered with five straight points over the next 1:22 to push their advantage back to nine.

Chihara went back to work, scoring five of the next seven Pioneer points to bring Smith to within two, 40-38 with 14:52 showing on the game clock. First-year Tavorsia Talley (New Hope, Pa./Solebury School) scored the next seven points off the bench for Smith, including her first collegiate three that gave Smith a 45-44 lead with 11:38 remaining in regulation.

The Pioneers held a one-point lead, 47-46, with 9:40 to play, but the Lions made eight free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Emerson was led by Catherine Cloutier's 19 points and 15 rebounds.

The Lions outrebounded the Pioneers, 46-29, and shot 40.7 percent from the field, compared to Smith's 31.9 percent shooting from the floor. Smith scored 22 of their points off 18 turnovers, the second-most turnovers that the Pioneers have forced this season.

Smith returns to Ainsworth Gym Monday night, when they take on the Clark University Cougars at 7 p.m.