No. 6 Pioneers power past basketball

Cal McGonagle led Mount Holyoke with 10 points and eight rebounds in the Lyons' loss to Smith on Feb. 12, 2025. (RJB Sports file photo)
Cal McGonagle led Mount Holyoke with 10 points and eight rebounds in the Lyons' loss to Smith on Feb. 12, 2025. (RJB Sports file photo)

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- The No. 6 nationally ranked Smith College basketball team ran out to an 18-2 lead after one quarter and coasted to an 81-30 NEWMAC victory over Mount Holyoke College Wednesday night in Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium.

Smith (20-2, 8-0 NEWMAC) collected its 11th straight win over Mount Holyoke (4-18, 0-8 NEWMAC) and raised its all-time record over the Lyons to 52-29.

The visiting Pioneers held the Lyons to 1-for-25 shooting in the first half in building a commanding 38-5 lead at intermission.

All 15 Smith players scored for the Pioneers, led by Jillian Nowicki with 12 points off the bench. Virginia Johnson had nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds, and Hannah Martin also scored nine points. Uta Nakamura had a game-high five assists with eight points and three steals.

Senior Cal McGonagle (Yarmouth, Maine) led Mount Holyoke with 10 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Schuyler Pettibone (Raleigh, N.C.) had five points and five rebounds, and sophomore Emma Zoubok (Somers, N.Y.) knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to finish with six points.

Mount Holyoke shot 10-56 (.179), its second-lowest field goal percentage of the season, including 3-19 (.158) from three. Smith made 9-of-29 (.310) on 3-pointers and 31-73 (.425) overall. The Pioneers outrebounded Mount Holyoke 55-33.

On Saturday, Mount Holyoke looks for its first NEWMAC win on Saturday at Wellesley while Smith hosts MIT.