BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting Smith College women's basketball team posted a 60-41 victory over Bridgewater State University in non-conference action on Thursday night at the Tinsley Center.
The Pioneers improve to 6-3 on the season, while the host Bears fall to 3-6 with their third straight setback.
Freshman forward Kennedy Guest-Pritchett (Fairburn, Ga.) recorded a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while freshman guard Erin Hanley (San Francisco, Calif.) added 18 points and nine boards to lead the way for the visitors.
Smith dominated the boards outrebounding the Bears by a margin of 46-21 including a decided 17-2 edge on the offensive glass. The Pioneers also held a 34-12 advantage in points in the paint.
Freshman guard Nicole Bostick (Bridgewater, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with nine points on a trio of fourth quarter three-pointers. Senior forward Jennie Lindland (Edgartown, Mass.) added eight points on 4 of 6 shooting, while senior guard Stephanie DeSantis (Walpole, Mass.) chipped in with seven points and four rebounds.
Bridgewater used a 7-0 first quarter run, capped off by a Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) three-pointer, to take an early 12-6 lead. The Bears, however, went scoreless for the final 2 ½ minutes of the period and the first three minutes of the second quarter. The Pioneers reeled off 11 straight points during that span with five different players scoring as the visitors jumped ahead, 17-12.
Later in the second quarter, the Bears pulled to within two, 19-17, following a DaSilva three-pointer and a Kayla Carter (Hamilton, Mass.) layup. The Pioneers answered with a 12-0 run, highlighted by four points from Guest-Pritchett and a Sydney Koh (Seattle, Wash.) trifecta, to take a 31-17 advantage. Smith would head to the locker room with a 32-20 lead.
Guest-Pritchett led all players with nine first-half points, while Hanley added six points, all at the free throw line. DaSilva and DeSantis paced the Bears with six points apiece over the first 20 minutes.
Both teams struggled with their scoring in the third quarter as the two teams combined to shoot 5-for-23 in the period and turned the ball over eight times.
Down 38-28 entering the final quarter, Bostick drained a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 38-31. A 12-0 run by the Pioneers on the strength of three Guest-Pritchett layups and a Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, B.C.) three-pointer extended the visitors lead to 50-31 with under five minutes left to play. Smith would maintain a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
The Pioneers shot 41% (23-56) for the game and connected on 11 of 15 (73%) free throw attempts. The Bears went 15-for-45 (33%) from the floor. Eight of Bridgewater's 15 field goals were three-pointers.
Both teams are off until Friday, December 30th. The Bears take on Wesleyan University at seven o'clock in the semifinals of the WPI Holiday Tournament, while the Pioneers travel to Salve Regina University for a four o'clock game with the Seahawks.