THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 15/18 Smith College 82, MIT 54
 
- Records: MIT (8-3); Smith (9-2)
 
- Location: Northampton, Mass. (Ainsworth Gym)
 
- The Lead: Nationally ranked No. 15/18 Smith College used a 17-5 run in the third quarter to pull away and defeat MIT, 82-54, in a non-conference women's basketball game on Wednesday night. Junior Elise Harvey (Wayland, Mass.) powered the Engineers with a career-high 17 points to go along with four rebounds and a steal.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Following a tight start, a string of seven unanswered points gave Smith a 16-5 lead at the 5:25 mark. The Pioneers maintained their cushion for the remainder of the quarter as a three-pointer with three seconds left resulted in a 28-17 advantage.
 
- MIT opened the second quarter with layups by graduate student Christina Antonakakis (Holmdel, N.J.), Harvey, and junior Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.). A free throw and then a layup by Smith moved the score to 31-23 with 7:43 on the clock. A defensive battle ensued during the next three minutes until Harvey drained a layup. The Pioneers replied with a layup on their next possession and then increased their lead to 34-25 courtesy of a free throw at the 3:28 mark. The Engineers countered with layups from Antonakakis, Harvey, and Nwogu to come within three with 1:45 on the clock. Smith responded with its own six-point burst to enter halftime with a 40-31 lead.
 
- A back-and-forth start to the third quarter moved the score to 47-36 following a layup by Antonakakis at the 6:31 mark. On their next possession the Pioneers drained a layup, sparking a 10-0 run that spanned 2:33. Antonakakis knocked down a trey during MIT's next trip down the court, kicking off an 11-6 spurt which narrowed the gap to 63-47 at the end of the frame.
 
- Smith controlled the action in the fourth quarter as it outscored the Engineers, 19-7.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Antonakakis finished with 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists while Nwogu tallied 13 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks.
 
- MIT led the way in bench scoring (21-6) and points off turnovers (12-8), but Smith ended the night with advantages in rebounds (45-29), fastbreak points (18-5), points in the paint (56-32), and second chance points (26-12).
 
- Smith is currently ranked No. 15 in the WBCA Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
 
- The Engineers are currently 2-2 this season against nationally ranked opponents. They fell to then No. 2/2 NYU but defeated No. 8/9 Tufts University and No. 13/16 Trinity College.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT travels to Maine Maritime Academy on Saturday, Feb. 6 for a 2:00 p.m. tip off.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
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