NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Smith College, a Final Four team from a season ago that entered this campaign ranked No. 11 in the D3hoops.com preseason Top 25 poll, shot 66 percent (40-for-61) from the floor and 13-for-23 (57 percent) from three-point range as they sprinted to a 110-34 win over the Keene State College women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon at Ainsworth Gymnasium in the first round of the Tyler Tip-Off Tournament
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Records
- Keene State: 1-1
- No. 11 Smith: 1-0
How It Happened
It was an ugly afternoon for the Owls, who trailed 24-6 after one quarter and it never got better from there. KSC scored their first bucket of the game 2:13 in on an
Aryanna Murray triple to make it 6-3, but then allowed the next 10 consecutive points and Smith ended the first quarter on an 18-3 run, making nine of 13 shots (69 percent) from the field and 4-of-6 from three. That, combined with KSC's 2-for-17 overall and 2-of-8 from three, helped provide the basis for the score. The Pioneers' shooting never slowed – and in fact somehow improved – in the second quarter, when they made 11 of 13 (85 percent) and three of four from three. They shot at least 55.6 percent in every quarter, and had nearly as many field goals in the second as KSC had in the game. Smith led 57-17 at halftime and scored at least 24 points in every quarter (with their first quarter output being the
lowest).
The Pioneers were paced by 16 points from Ally Yamada, one of six in double-figures for the home team, who advanced to the Final Four on their home court in March with a 63-46 victory over Trinity College (Conn.) and have won 39 straight at Ainsworth Gymnasium. They were 18-0 when staying home in 2022-2023, and finished 30-2 last year, with the only losses coming at Framingham State University (78-74) on December 3 and against eventual national champion Transylvania University (76-65) at the Final Four in Hartford, Conn. on March 18.
If Saturday and the D3hoops.com preseason poll is any indication, they will be in contention again. Ella Sylvester added 14 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 3-PT), Sofia Rosa 13 points (6-6 FG), Jane Loo 11 points (4-5 FG), and Hannah Martin and Virginia Johnson two apiece.
Keene State shot only 22 percent from the floor and made just six shots inside the three-point line (they were 6-for-21 from three). They were outrebounded 42-20 and committed 22 turnovers.
Brynn Rautiola and Murray paced the Owls with six points each, going a combined 4-for-7 from three-point range. Rautiola was 2-for-3.
Inside the Paint
- Smith had 46 paint points, 39 points off turnovers, 11 on second chances, 34 on fastbreaks, and 61 from their bench. They also had a 31 assist to 11 turnover ratio.
- The Pioneers have now won three of five all-time meetings. The teams last met in November of 2019 in Keene when Smith pulled away for a 53-39 win. KSC's last wins in the series came in 2014 and 2015 when they won 77-63 in Massachusetts and 77-55 in Keene in consecutive seasons.
Up Next
- The Tyler Tip-Off Tournament continues tomorrow (Sunday, November 12) with the consolation and championship. The Owls will take on Rowan University (0-2) at 2:00 p.m. The Profs fell to Husson University 67-62 in Saturday's second game after opening the season with a home loss to sixth-ranked University of Scranton 66-52. Smith will play Husson (1-0) for the championship (4:00 p.m.). The Eagles got 22 points from Bailey Donovan and 17 from Sophia McVicar and closed on a 9-4 push in the final 2:34 to erase a 58-56 Rowan lead in a game that was close for nearly the entire 40 minutes. Husson had a brief 11-point lead in the second quarter before the Profs made it a 31-30 game at the break.
