#10 Smith Keeps Lead from 2nd quarter on, Williams falls 76-68


Northampton, Mass. – In a rivalry since 1973, the record between the Williams College Ephs (6-3, 0-0, NESCAC) and the Smith College Pioneers (6-1, 0-0, NEWMAC) increases for the Pioneers as they beat the Ephs today 76 to 68.

Arianna Gerig was unstoppable today. She scored 43 points against Smith College, beating out her previous 35 against Rhode Island College and the Williams record of 36 for most points scored in a game. But, the Pioneers out-rebounded the Ephs 41-28 and took advantage of transitional play to take the win away from the Ephs.

During the first Ephs’ possession, Ellie Tounkara drove in from the left side of the key and passed to Cortland McBarron who cut in from the right and put the ball up for the first basket. To give the Ephs back the lead 11-9, Kate Keenan drove the ball to the left and found Mairi Smith under the basket for 2. Arianna Gerig scored 14 points helping the Ephs to lead 19-16 at the end of the quarter.

To tie up the game in the middle of the 2nd quarter, Tatum Leuenberger passed the ball down to the right side of the arc where Kate Keenan quick for a three to make the game 26-26. Ellie Tounkara had back-to-back steals against the Pioneers’ offense when the Pioneers led 32-28. And, Mairi Smith blocked 3 Pioneer shots during the quarter. The half ended with the Pioneers leading 37-32.

Early in the 3rd quarter, Ellie Tounkara bounce passed the ball to Arianna Gerig, cutting in from the right side of the baseline and laying it up for 2. Later on, after a Pioneer rebounded the ball on defense, Tatum Leuenberger stole it and passed out to Ellie Tounkara who executed a jump shot for 2. In the following Ephs’ scoring attempt, Arianna Gerig drove into the basket from the left side and found Ellie Tounkara on the right side arc for a smooth 3. However, the Pioneers continued their lead on the game 56-46.

Into the 4th quarter, Arianna Gerig ramped up her speed and racked up more points for the Ephs. Arianna Gerig laid the ball up, drew the foul, and finished the 3-point play with a free throw made. In the following possession, Arianna Gerig stole the ball from the Pioneers and went coast-to-coast with the ball to lay it up again, making the game 62-53 Pioneers. During the last three minutes of the quarter, the Pioneers moved the ball around on offense, just not giving the Ephs many opportunities to score. The Pioneers won the game 76-68

Arianna Gerig broke the Williams record for scoring the most points in a game today. Previously held by Melissa Skeffington in 2002 against Connecticut College with 36 points, Arianna Gerig scored 43 points against Smith College. Eph head coach Pat Manning called out Gerig’s, “Spectacular performance and most points in a game is a record for the program. She was unstoppable on the offensive end. Most of her points came from ‘and-one’s’. She was driving to the hoop and drawing contact. Smith plays a really physical game, so Ari was incredibly explosive tonight. One of the most amazing performances I have seen.”

On team performance, Ephs head coach Pat Manning said, “We had some lapses in our transition defense which Smith capitalized on. And, they are very explosive. It was disappointing in overall shooting percentage. Smith plays really good defense, but our focus is going to be on better offensive execution and shoring up somethings on transitions.”

The Ephs will come back home on Saturday to play Wesleyan University at 3pm in Chandler Gymnasium.

 



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