THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 8 Smith College 64, MIT 53
 
- Records: MIT (6-8, 0-1 NEWMAC); Smith (14-1, 1-0 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Northampton, Mass. (Ainsworth Gymnasium)
 
- The Lead: In the NEWMAC women's basketball opener for both teams on Saturday, No. 8 Smith College used a 21-5 run in the third quarter to claim a lead it would not relinquish and then went 6-of-8 at the free throw line in the final minute to record a 64-53 victory over MIT. Sophomore Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) powered the Engineers with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and fifth of her career.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- MIT inched out to a 7-3 lead after a three-pointer from sophomore Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) at the 4:10 mark. A jumper by Smith during its ensuing possession kicked off a string of 10 unanswered points during the next 2:41. A put-back by sophomore Olivia Joseph (Newtown Square, Pa.) at the buzzer narrowed the gap to 13-12 for the Engineers.
 
- The second stanza was closely played as there were five lead changes and four ties. A layup by Nwogu evened the score at 25 with 2:03 on the clock. She then drained to free throws with just under a minute remaining as Choi sank a layup with 15 seconds to go, resulting in a 29-25 halftime lead.
 
- Following a layup by the Pioneers, a jumper by Choi and a three-pointer from graduate student Paula Pieper (Greenville, S.C.) moved the score to 34-27 after 1:50 elapsed in the third quarter. On its next trip down the court, Smith recorded a layup which ignited its pivotal 21-5 run and created a 48-39 advantage at the end of the frame.
 
- Despite the deficit MIT continued to attack as it came within five points on three occasions, the last at 54-49 courtesy of Nwogu's layup at the 3:47 mark of the fourth quarter. The Pioneers replied with a pair of layups but another layup by Nwogu with 1:21 remaining kept the Engineers within striking distance. Smith, however, went on to secure the victory by going 6-of-8 at the charity stripe during the final 53 seconds.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Pieper finished with 12 points and six rebounds as Choi registered nine points, four rebounds, and three steals. First-year Alice Hall (Ambler, Pa.) chipped in eight points and four rebounds
 
- MIT led the way in rebounds (35-30) and second-chance points (6-5) but the Pioneers ended the day with advantages in points off turnovers (17-10), points in the paint (32-30), fastbreak points (14-2), and bench scoring (3-2).
 
- The Engineers shot 36.7 percent (22-of-60) from the floor, 40 percent (4-of-10) from three-point range, and 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from the free throw line.
 
- Smith shot 44.4 percent (22-of-50) from the floor, 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from behind the arc, and 63.6 percent (17-of-27) at the charity stripe.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT travels to Colby College on Tuesday, Jan. 17 for a 6:00 p.m. tip off.
 
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