THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 8 Smith College 73, MIT 60
 
- Records: MIT (5-7); Smith (11-1)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: Nationally-ranked No. 8 Smith College generated 11 unanswered points during the first three minutes of the third quarter to go ahead for good as it went on to defeat MIT, 73-60, in a non-conference women's basketball game on Wednesday. Morgan Morrison powered the Pioneers with a game-high 24 points to go along with five rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Sophomore Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) led the Engineers with 15 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- MIT gradually built a 20-15 lead after a layup by junior Grace Harrington (Seattle, Wash.) with 15 seconds left in the first quarter. Smith responded with an Ella Sylvester jumper at the buzzer.
 
- A layup by sophomore Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) and a pair of baskets by first-year Alice Hall (Ambler, Pa.) increased the Engineers' margin to 26-17 at the 6:17 mark of the second stanza. The Pioneers chipped away at the deficit as a steal and a fastbreak layup by Dashelle Gleissner brought the visitors within 34-32 with 1:05 on the clock. MIT capped the first-half scoring with a free throw from sophomore Elise Harvey (Wayland, Mass.).
 
- A jumper by Morrison 16 seconds into the third quarter sparked Smith's pivotal 11-0 run. A layup by Nwogu midway through the frame kicked off an exchange of baskets until a jumper by Sylvester increased the Pioneers' advantage to 53-43 with 53 seconds remaining. The Engineers replied with two free throws from sophomore Sarah Berman (York, Pa.) and a layup by first-year Brianna Lebrun (Hartford, Conn.) to wrap up the quarter.
 
- A layup by Choi 10 seconds into the fourth quarter brought MIT within 53-49. Smith used a Gleissner basket and a Morrison three-point play to create some breathing room, however, the Engineers once again came within four (60-56) after two Choi free throws at the 5:55 mark. Two minutes later, Sylvester drained a layup and then Morrison added a free throw with 3:12 on the clock. Another defensive battle ensued until two more Choi free throws narrowed the gap to 63-58 with 1:32 remaining. Smith's Jesse Ruffner went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe during the next 18 seconds as the Pioneers pulled away for a 73-60 victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Pieper tallied 12 points, eight rebounds, and four assists while Hall finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
 
- Ruffner totaled 18 points and five rebounds as Amelia Clairmont generated 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Gleissner grabbed a game-high four steals while Jazmyn Washington led all players with nine rebounds.
 
- Both teams collected 39 rebounds while Smith led the way in points in the paint (36-28), points off turnovers (17-10), second-chance points (10-8), and bench scoring (13-11).
 
- MIT shot 36.9 percent (24-of-65) from the floor, 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from three-point range, and 80 percent (8-of-10) from the free throw line.
 
- The Pioneers shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the floor, 20 percent (2-of-10) from behind the arc, and 86.4 percent (19-of-22) at the charity stripe.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- Both teams are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 7 with non-conference home games. MIT will host Eastern Nazarene College at 3:00 p.m. while Smith will play Springfield College (No. 15 in the WBCA Poll; No. 18 in the D3hoops.com Poll) at 1:00 p.m.
 
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