Northampton, Mass. – February 18, 2009 – The Springfield College women’s basketball had four players in double figures Wednesday evening as it defeated Smith 74-42 in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest. With the victory, Springfield improved to 14-10 overall and 9-3 in the NEWMAC while the Pioneers fell to 8-15 overall and 2-10 in conference play.
The Pride got off to an early lead in the first half and held a five point lead (12-7) with 14:46 remaining. Springfield then outscored Smith14-0 over the next seven minutes and increased its lead to 15 to take an 33-18 advantage into the half. Sophomore guard Rachelle Walker scored 9 of her 11 points in the first half and senior Liz Brosseau added 8 of her 12 points to lead the Pride.
The Pride, which shot 44% from the floor in the first half, shot a terrific 63% in the second half as the team put the game out of reach for Smith. Senior Lauren O’Connor led all scorers with 13 points for Springfield while Brosseau chipped in with a dozen, Walker 11 and Corey Finch added 10.
Berit Schelde had a team high 9 points for the Pioneers while Lisa Marie Vuono and Sarah Posnak each added 8. Senior Courtney Parker had a game high 9 rebounds in the loss for Smith.
The Pioneers travel to Wellesley College on Saturday, February 21 for a 2 p.m. contest while Coast Guard visits Springfield at 1 p.m.
