SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Twelve different players notched at least two points in leading the Smith College basketball team to an 82-37 victory over Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Thursday evening. With the win, the Pioneers improve to 5-9 and 2-5 in conference play, while the Lyons slip to 4-10 and 1-4 in the NEWMAC.
Smith was paced by first year guard Paige Marquez (San Francisco, Calif./Saint Ignatius College Prep.), who notched 13 points, a game-best five assists and three steals to go along with four rebounds. Classmate and fellow guard Samantha Alakai (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) added 11 points, while first year guard Tavorsia Talley (New Hope, Pa./Solebury School) added a game-best four blocks.
For Mount Holyoke, senior forward Amber Legare (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee Comprehensive) posted a game-best 14 points and four blocks. She also added three assists and eight rebounds. Classmate and forward Nicole DeMarchena (Miami, Fla./Amherst Regional) had a game-high 11 rebounds with two assists and two blocks, while senior guard Kate Karraker (Morgantown, W.V./Taft School) had eight points.
The Pioneers had a solid defensive effort to open the game, holding MHC to just an 18.2% mark from the floor, through the opening 20 minutes. The Lyons held a 7-4 lead at 15:49 as DeMarchena nailed a three-pointer, but a jumper and subsequent foul in favor of the Pioneers sent Alakai to the line and made it a 7-all game.
Smith took control from that point as 11 different players rotated through the remainder of the half to build the advantage into double digits. First year guard Amanda Barriscale (Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais) led all scorers at the half with seven points.
In the second half the Lyons battled back, facing a 44-14 deficit, MHC ate away at the lead over the first seven minutes of the stanza. A layup from Legare at the 13:35 mark made it a 21-point deficit (48-27) and she later capitalized on a Pioneers foul to sink two at the line.
Following a back-and-forth possession, Karraker sank a three from downtown to close the gap to 48-32 for the Lyons, but the Pioneers rebounded quickly, going on an 11-0 run to make it a 59-32 contest with 9:57 to play. A jumper and a three from Marquez gave the visitors their largest lead up to that point, taking a 30-point edge (64-34) less than a minute later.
Smith continued to capitalize on the Lyons' turnovers throughout the remainder of the second half as Marquez paced the way with 11 of her 13 points in the second half.
Both teams return to the court on Saturday as Mount Holyoke travels to Emerson (1pm), while Smith heads to Wheaton (1pm).
