SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Powered by a double-digit effort from three players, including a game-best 15 points from junior Paulina Solis, the Smith College basketball team posted a 71-38 victory over Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) basketball action on Wednesday evening. The victory moves the Pioneers to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play, while the homestanding Lyons are now 3-3 and 1-3 in the NEWMAC.
It was a close opener to the game as neither side led by more than three through the first five minutes. A jumper by Solis (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) made it a 7-4 advantage at the 15:22 mark and a follow-up layup from first year Mandy Castro (San Diego, Calif./Poway) turned it into a five-point edge (9-4) less than 21 seconds later.
The Pioneers continued to cruise and quickly built up a 10-point cushion (14-6), aided by a jumper from junior Lauren Weston (Florence, Mass./Northampton) and a layup from senior Marissa Munoz-Ruiz (Fairfield, Calif./Justin-Siena). The Lyons countered as junior Amber Legare (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee Comprehensive) drained a layup, but Smith continued to capitalize on MHC's missed shots and led by 13 (21-8) with 7:30 to play behind a three-pointer from Solis and a layup in the paint from Munoz-Ruiz.
Mount Holyoke tried to climb back into the contest and despite jumper makes from junior Genelle Green (Windsor, Conn./Miss Porter's School), senior Jennine Vizcaino (New York, N.Y./Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) and Legare, the Lyons headed into the locker room down 28-15. Smith saw both Weston and Solis post seven points to lead the way in the opening half, while Legare led the charge for the MHC with six.
In the second half, Smith continued to dominate and broke open the game in the first four minutes of the stanza behind four points and two steals from Solis. Green's three-pointer at 15:52 made it a 41-20 contest, but senior Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) made it a 23-point (43-20) game less than thirty seconds later.
Drummond, who finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in the contest, posted a three-point play with a layup and a shot from the line to make it a 48-23 advantage with 14:08 to go. The Lyons responded with 11:26 on the clock as Legare sank a shot and a bucket from junior Nicole DeMarchena (Miami, Fla./Amherst Regional (MA) closed the gap further to 21 points (52-31).
The Pioneers continued to pressure over the final nine minutes of the contest, going on a 12-0 run to push the advantage to 33 points (69-36) and cement the win with 3:26 remaining.
Leading the way for Smith was Solis, who added seven rebounds and a game-high seven steals, in addition to her 15 points. Drummond added two assists to her totals, while Castro recorded 10 points with a game-best five assists and four steals.
For the Lyons, Green paced the effort draining 13 points, including two from three-point range. She also added nine rebounds. Legare finished with nine points and nine assists with two blocks, while DeMarchena had nine rebounds, four steals and a game-high five blocks.
Both teams return to action on Saturday at 2pm as Mount Holyoke travels to MIT, while Smith is at Wellesley.
