Women's Basketball Falls to #11 Smith, 88-67

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Graduate forward Katelyn Pickunka (Westhampton, Mass.) and senior forward Morgan Morrison (Detroit, Mich.) tallied 22 points apiece to the lead the nationally ranked Smith College women's basketball team to an 88-67 victory over visiting Bridgewater State University on Friday afternoon at the Smith Holiday Classic.

The Pioneers, who were ranked 11th in the most recent D3hoops.com Poll, improve to 9-1 on the season, while the Bears fall to 7-4.

Pickunka connected on 9 of 11 field goal attempts and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line in just 19 minutes of action. She also pulled down a game-high ten rebounds (three offensive) to record her fifth double-double of the season.

Morrison went 11-for-16 from the floor and added nine rebounds (four offensive) and a game-best three blocked shots.

Junior guard Ally Yamada (Seal Beach, Calif.) added 11 points and three rebounds for the Pioneers, while sophomore guard Jane Loo (Saratoga, Calif.) recorded ten points in 11 minutes off the bench.

Sophomore forward Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) tallied 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal, while junior guard Caroline Tripp (Plymouth, Mass.) notched 14 points, five rebounds and a steal to lead the way for Bridgewater State. The Bears also received 13 points and seven boards (two offensive) from senior forward Sophia Gaucher (Lakeville, Mass.) as well as ten points, five rebounds (two offensive), two assists and two steals from senior guard Kylee Piche (Bridgewater, Mass.).

The Pioneers made each of their first seven shots as they raced out to an early 14-7 lead and forced a BSU timeout. The Bears closed to within three before Smith used an 11-0 run, capped off by a Yamata three-pointer, to push the lead to double-digits (25-11). Bridgewater State scored the final six points of the quarter on a Grassi layup and free throw and a Tripp trifecta to make it a 25-17 game after one.

The Bears pulled to within four, 28-24, early in the second quarter following a Grassi three-pointer and jumper. The Pioneers answered with a 16-2 run, highlighted by eight points from Morrison, to take a commanding 46-28 advantage. Smith would ultimately take a 47-31 lead into the break.

Morrison and Pickunka tallied 12 points in the first half to pace the Pioneers. Smith shot 54.1% (20-37) over the first 20 minutes. Grassi led Bridgewater State with 12 first-half points while Gaucher added nine.

The Bears got as close as 15 points in the third quarter including a 65-50 deficit following a Piche layup with 1:50 remaining in the period. The Pioneers, however, closed out the session with a 7-1 run capped off by a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Yamada to take a 72-51 lead into the final period.

Smith would get up by as many as 31 points (84-53) in the fourth quarter.

The Pioneers shot 48.6% (35-72) for the game, 29.2% (7-24) from behind the arc and 78.6% (11-14) at the free throw line. The Bears finished with shooting percentages of 37.3% (25-67) from the floor, 38.5% (5-13) from behind the arc and 57.1% (12-21) at the charity stripe.

Smith held a 48-27 rebounding advantage with a 13-6 edge on the offensive glass.

The Smith Holiday Classic continues on Saturday afternoon. The Bears will take on SUNY Polytechnic Institute at one o'clock, whole the Pioneers will face UMass Dartmouth at three.