THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 14/21 Smith College 68, MIT 63
 
- Records: MIT (16-7, 7-2 NEWMAC); Smith (20-3, 8-1 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: An 8-2 burst late in the fourth quarter created enough of a cushion as No. 14/21 Smith College held on for a 68-63 NEWMAC women's basketball victory on Saturday afternoon. Graduate student Christina Antonakakis (Holmdel, N.J.) led all players with 28 points while Jessie Ruffner powered the Pioneers with 16 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Smith jumped out to a 14-6 lead after a three-pointer by Hannah Martin at the 6:11 mark. Sparked by a layup from junior Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.), MIT went on a 12-5 run that brought it within one with 1:32 left. Sofia Rosa quickly replied with a layup to give the Pioneers a 21-18 edge at the end of the frame.
 
- A layup by junior Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) 1:22 into the second quarter was countered by Martin's trey during the visitors' ensuing possession. In a span of 6:29, the Engineers outscored Smith, 12-2, as a jumper by first year April Chan (Fremont, Calif.) increased MIT's lead to 32-26 with 1:19 on the clock. The Pioneers ended their six-minute scoring drought courtesy of a layup by Maggie Fleming with 31 seconds remaining before halftime.
 
- A 10-1 run which featured eight straight points by Rosa gave Smith a 38-33 lead at the 4:08 mark of the third quarter. The Engineers tied the game on a layup and three-pointer by Antonakakis on back-to-back possessions. However, a 6-2 burst, all by Ruffner during a two-minute span, gave the Pioneers a 44-40 edge. MIT trimmed its deficit with a free throw by Nwogu with just under one minute left.
 
- Most of the fourth quarter was a tight affair as the Engineers tied the game three times, the last at 54 on a layup by Antonakakis with 4:36 on the clock. Smith responded with its pivotal 8-2 spurt during the next three minutes as Ally Yamada produced the first four points while Rosa scored the final four. With 20 seconds remaining Martin drained two free throws, but seven seconds later Nwogu made a layup, moving the score to 64-58. Martin had another 2-for-2 performance at the charity stripe; however, it was matched by Antonakakis with 10 seconds to go. A foul put Ruffner at the free throw line, where she hit both shots. During MIT's next possession, Antonakakis was fouled while attempting a three-pointer. She went on to make all three shots, resulting in the 68-63 final.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Nwogu generated 14 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals while Choi totaled seven points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Coming off the bench, junior Olivia Joseph (Newtown Square, Pa.) grabbed six rebounds.
 
- Rosa and Martin both finished with 15 points while Rosa added seven rebounds. Yamada rounded out Smith with 11 points and four assists.
 
- MIT had a 39-38 edge in rebounds and led the way in bench scoring (10-6). However, the Pioneers had the upper hand in points off turnovers (12-5), points in the paint (40-28), and second-chance points (11-10).
 
- Smith is currently ranked No. 14 in the WBCA Coaches Poll and No. 21 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- Both teams continue conference play on the road on Wednesday, Feb. 14. MIT will travel to Wheaton College for a 6:00 p.m. tip off while Smith will take the court at Emerson College an hour later.
 
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