Box ScoreNorthampton, Mass. - February 17, 2010 - The Springfield College women's basketball team had its six-game winning streak snapped as it dropped a 64-51 decision at Smith College on Wednesday evening in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest.
The loss drops Springfield to 14-10 overall, 12-5 in conference play, while Smith's record improved to 13-9, 10-7 in the NEWMAC.
Abby Connors led Springfield with 12 points in the loss, while Kelly Slattery chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds. Meghan Biondolillo and Rachelle Walker each tallied eight points as well.
Smith opened the game with an impressive 11-0 scoring run, and maintained control throughout the half, shooting 41% from the floor and 40% from beyond the arc, compared to only 35% and 14% from visiting Springfield.
Daron Dean was unstoppable near the basket, contributing 12 points and three rebounds in only 18 minutes of work. On the other end of the court, Lisa Marie Vuono paced Smith's defense, racking up six steals during the half.
The Pride managed to fight its way back in the second half, pulling to within seven after a pair of back-to-back 3-point buckets from Walker. However, the Pioneers answered right back with a 3-pointer of their own from Berit Schelde. During the final minutes of play, Smith's Anna Veltri hit six crucial free throws to put the game away for the Pioneers.
Scoring leaders for the Pioneers tonight were Schelde with 19 points and 3 rebounds, and Dean with 15 points and six rebounds.
Springfield was daunted by 24 turnovers in the game, and scored just 16 points in the first half.
Springfield will wrap up its regular season on Saturday when it travels for a tough conference battle at Wellesley. Tip off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
Entering her 22nd season as head coach in 2012-13, Naomi Graves has directed her squads to an impressive 306-156 record (.662 winning percentage) since joining the Division III ranks in 1995. Graves has led the Pride to 12 post-season bids in the past 17 years, including five berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
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