DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Powered by a solid effort throughout the contest, third-ranked Smith College defeated UMass Dartmouth in non-conference women's basketball action on Wednesday at Tripp Gym. The nationally ranked Bears move to 3-0 overall, while the Corsairs slip to 0-3 on the young season.
First quarter action saw the visiting Bears open the scoring, but the Corsairs kept it close, tying the game at 6-all on a three-pointer from graduate student guard Kaila Pruitt. Smith answered with four straight buckets, including threes from senior guard Selam Maher and junior guard Felicia Fongemie, which opened a 16-6 lead with 3:25 to play in the frame.
Senior guards Melanie DeMeo and Cristina Negron countered for the home team, each draining threes to close the gap (16-12), but back-to-back buckets from the visitors saw the score shift back to an eight-point differential with 1:15 to go. The Corsairs got the final score of the frame as graduate student guard Yasmine Santos hit a layup to send the two teams into the second quarter with Smith leading 20-14.
Second quarter action saw Smith go on a 10-0 run, aided by a three-pointer and a pair of free throws from Fongemie to open the margin to 30-14. A trey out of the hands of rookie guard Riley Graveline stopped the run, making it a 34-17 score, but the Bears continued to add to their lead, heading into halftime with a 40-17 advantage.
Out of the break, the two teams traded buckets with a three by Negron closing the gap to 42-20 at 8:54. After another strong run by the visitors, the Corsairs answered again as a pass from senior guard Kasey Oliver saw DeMeo drop a three for a 47-23 score with 5:48 to play. Smith took advantage of a 12-0 run, building up a solid lead that saw them head into the final quarter of play with a 64-25 lead.
It was a low scoring affair to open the fourth until a 5-0 run saw the Bears open the margin to 69-26. The Corsairs countered as a three from Graveline, coupled with another shot from downtown by rookie guard Jillian Doherty made it a 71-32 score with 5:20 to play. A driving layup from freshman guard Amanda Ebenezer further closed the gap, but the Bears continued to press, taking advantage of UMD fouls to extend and hold onto their advantage for the 83-38 final score.
DeMeo paced the Corsair effort, recording eight points with a rebound and three assists. Graveline, Pruitt and Negron each finished with six points as Negron posted a team-high five rebounds. Oliver added a squad-high four assists, while Graveline recorded a team-best two steals.
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on Saturday when it hosts the 2025 Lafrance Hospitality Tournament. Game one features Wesleyan and the University of New England at 2pm, followed by the Corsairs against Emerson at 4pm.
