NORTHAMPTON - An explosive first quarter propelled the top-seeded Smith College basketball team to a 61-49 win over fifth-seeded Springfield College in the semifinals of the NEWMAC Tournament on Friday evening in Ainsworth Gymnasium. The Pioneers will host the No. 2 seed Babson Beavers for the title on Sunday, February 26 at 1:00pm. 

Smith, which is ranked No. 4 in the nation by D3hoops.com, improves to 25-1 on the year and is currently on a 19-game win streak. Springfield's season comes to an end with an overall record of 18-9. 

Game Highlights

• A layup by Morgan Morrison (Detroit, Mi/Detroit Country Day) sparked an 8-0 run to open the game before Smith went on to hold a 21-10 advantage at the end of the quarter
• Jessie Ruffner's (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) bucket made it 23-10 before Angela Czeremcha scored the next five points to bring the Pride within 23-15. The two teams would exchange baskets over the next several minutes before Morrison's layup on with 38 seconds left in the quarter gave Smith a 36-22 lead, however Rachel Vinton drained a three-pointer to end the half 
• The back-and-forth trend continued in the third as Springfield was only able to get as close as nine throughout the period. Dashelle Gleissner (Los Angeles, Calif./Serra) connected from downtoen as Smith took a 47-35 edge into the final quarter
• Back-to-back three pointers from Amelia Clairmont (Laconia, N.H./New Hampton School) in the fourth gave the Pioneers a 55-40 cushion with 6:17 on the clock, forcing a timeout by the Pride. A steal and basket by Vinton brought the visitors to within 13 with 5:01 left to play, but Smith connected on 3-of-4 from the field in the final minutes to hold on for the 61-49 win 

By the Numbers

• Morrison notched her 11th double-double of the year, finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks
• Amelia Clairmont (Laconia, N.H./New Hampton School) recorded 15 points with three from long distance
• Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, Calif./Fairmont Prep Academy) chipped in 11 points off the bench, while Jessie Ruffner (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin) tallied 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists
• Smith shot 54.2 percent (26-of-48) from the floor, 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from three-point range, and 33.3 percent (2-of-6) from the free throw line.
• The Pride shot 32.1 percent (18-of-56) from the floor, 25.0 percent (5-of-20) from behind the arc, and 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from the charity stripe.
• Smith will be making its third consecutive NEWMAC Championship appearance. The Pioneers won the conference titles in 2020 and 2022. 

Up Next
Smith will host No. 2 seed Babson for the NEWMAC Championship game on Sunday, February 26 at 1:00pm in a rematch of last year's championship. 

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.