Women's Basketball Battles Smith
Jan. 8, 2009
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In its New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) season-opener, the MIT women’s basketball team fell to host Smith College, 60-30, on Wednesday night. Cheryl Kwinn paced the Engineers (3-7, 0-1 NEWMAC) with 11 rebounds, eight points, and two assists. Clara Yuan contributed six points, three steals, and three assists while Kristen Whaley posted six points, four boards, and a block. Jamie Simmons added five points to the Cardinal and Gray’s cause.
The opening five minutes were closely played as a put-back by Kwinn knotted the score at eight and resulted in the game’s fourth tie. A basket by the Pioneers on their ensuing possession sparked a 16-0 run. MIT countered with an 11-5 spurt that brought it within 10 (29-19) at the 3:37 mark. Smith tallied eight of the last 10 points to establish a 37-21 advantage at the break.
The Engineers trimmed their deficit to 13 (39-26) on a three-pointer by Simmons with 15:36 on the clock. The Pioneers rattled off 13 unanswered points before a free-throw by Sally Simpson ended an eight-minute scoring drought. The game became a defensive battle down the stretch as both sides combined for 11 points.
