NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- The No. 3 nationally ranked Smith College basketball team rebounded from its first loss of the season the day before to defeat Mount Holyoke College 87-36 in NEWMAC action on Wednesday night.
Smith (15-1, 2-0 NEWMAC) shot a blistering 17-27 (.630) on its three-point attempts and 31-55 (.564) from the field while holding Mount Holyoke to 3-24 (.125) behind the arc and 11-53 (.208) from the field.
The host Bears sank 3-pointers on their first two trips down the floor, first by Shea Montague and next by Uta Nakamura. Mount Holyoke first-year Justine Dessureault (Trois-Rivieres, Quebec) countered with a 3-pointer for the Lyons, and a jump shot by sophomore Ania McMichael (Glastonbury, Conn.) made it 8-5 before threes by Smith's Alina Abdulina and Jillian Nowicki, compounded by Montague's second three, opened up a 17-5 Bears advantage with 3:41 left in the opening period. A pair of baskets by Mount Holyoke senior Taryn White (Alexandria, Va.) couldn't keep Smith from forging a 15-point (24-9) lead after one quarter.
The Bears only got hotter and more efficient in the second quarter, making 5-6 on threes by five different players and shooting 7-10 from the field as they increased their lead to 43-15 at the half.
Both teams had their highest scoring quarters in the third, with the hosts adding 10 more points to their lead despite 17 points scored by the Lyons. Ten of those points were poured in by McMichael, including a pair of threes.
Mount Holyoke was held to four points in the fourth quarter, all from the free throw line, while Smith continued to add to its lead, finally settling on a game-high 51-point margin in the final minute.
McMichael led all players with a season-high 16 points and three steals, and White added eight points. Junior Sofia Francisco (Boston, Mass.) had two blocks and a team-high six rebounds, her season low.
Montague led Smith with 14 points; Nowicki added 12 and Selam Maher scored 11, including 3-3 shooting from three. Bre'Aria Cannon had eight points and 11 rebounds.
Mount Holyoke last defeated Smith in the 2014-15 season.
The Lyons (4-12, 0-2 NEWMAC) will host Clark University Saturday at 1pm in Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium.
