Northampton, Mass. - January 24, 2024- The Springfield College women's basketball team shot a blistering 71% from the field in the fourth quarter to rally for a 70-68 victory over Smith College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Wednesday evening.

Springfield boosted its record to 14-4, 3-1 in conference play as it avenged an early 72-71 double overtime setback to Smith that came on January 6.  For the Pride, it marked the third-straight season that it has bested a nationally-ranked opponent as the Pioneers entered the contest ranked 11th in the WBCA National Poll and 17th in the D3hoops.com National Poll and slipped to 14-3, 3-1.  The victory snapped Smith's 37-game win streak against conference opponents and marked the first win for the Pride over the Pioneers in its last eight tries dating back to February 5, 2020. 

Claire Finney (Haverhill, Mass.) put together the best game of her young career as the first-year poured in a team-best 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Rachel Vinton (Holden, Mass.) turned in 15 points, including the game-winning bucket in the final seconds.  Both Jaelen Daubon (Hyde Park, N.Y.) and Angela Czeremcha (West Springfield, Mass.) netted 14 points as the Pride shot 50% from the floor and held a 46-30 edge on points in the paint.

Jessie Ruffner contributed a game-best 21 points and 10 boards for Smith, while teammate Ally Yamada added 21 points of her own and Salem Maher contributed 11 points off the bench. 

The visiting Pride raced out to an 8-0 lead midway through the first quarter after a pair of free throws from Czeremcha and would gain a 14-4 edge on transition score from Riley Robinson (Adams, Mass.) at the 4:07 mark.  The hosts would pull within 18-13 on a Ruffner three-point play with 1:13 on the clock, but Vinton would later score in the lane with time winding down to give Springfield a 22-14 lead after 10 minutes of play. 

Finney drilled a trifecta with 7:23 left in the first half to help Springfield's lead balloon to 27-14, only to have Yamada bang a three of her own in transition to cap off a 7-0 Smith run to make it a six-point game with under five to play.  Springfield would lead 34-27 at the break as Ruffner and Finney each went for eight points in the stanza.

An inside score from Czeremcha at the 6:58  mark put the Pride in control at 42-33, only to have the Pioneers take over as they made 8-of-9 from the field as part of a 19-7 burst to close the quarter as it took its first lead of the game on a Maher triple with 31 ticks on the clock.  The Pioneers would outscore Springfield 25-15 in the stanza as Smith shot 11-for-14 (79%).

With 5:47 to go in regulation, Ruffner scored in transition to put the hosts on top 63-57, but over the next 2:42, Springfield would score seven unanswered points, including five from Daubon and an inside score by Czeremcha with 3:05 remaining to go back on top, 64-63. Trailing 65-64 with 61 seconds on the clock, Czeremcha scored while being fouled, and Finney would snag the offensive board on a missed free throw to find Czeremcha for another bucket to give the Pride a three-point edge.  Following a Smith timeout, Yamada came up with a huge triple to knot the game, but Vinton would not be denied as she blew past her defender for an acrobatic finish with 17 seconds remaining for the game-winning bucket.  Springfield's defense held tough, keeping the Pioneers off the scoreboard in the final seconds to seal the victory. 

On Saturday, Springfield will continue conference play and host to Wheaton at 1 pm.

For the latest on Springfield College Athletics, follow the Pride on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.