Kimball's 30-Point Effort Not Enough as Wellesley Basketball Falls to Smith
The Pioneers opened up the game with a quick 9-2 advantage,
backed by six points from Daron Dean (Brush Prairie, WA). Wellesley
battled back to tie the score at 10-10, with just under 12 minutes
remaining in the period. The Blue then used a 10-3 run to go up by
seven with six minutes left, but Smith chipped away and knotted the
score at 30-30 at the break. The tight first-half featured 14
points fom Kimball and eight each from Smith's Dean and
Berit Schelde (Holstebro, DENMARK).
Smith dominated play early in the second half, taking a 10-point
lead with 11 minutes left in the game. Wellesley stayed close,
however, eventually cutting the lead to three points at the 8:31
mark, as Robyn Burleson (Seattle, WA) nailed a
three. Smith would allow the Blue to get no closer, as the Pioneers
used solid free-throw shooting over the final minutes of the game
to solidify the 66-61 victory.
Kimball's 30 points and 13 boards were game-highs in both
categories, with the rookie also racking up four steals and two
assists. Classmate Malia Maier (Torrance, CA)
recorded a seven-assist, six-point effort, while Burlson notched 11
points for the Blue. .
For Smith, Schelde finished with 15 points, while Dean added 14.
Ashani Petrizzi (Deerfield, MA) tallied 10 points, 6 rebounds, and
4 assists in the win.
Smith is back in action at home on Wednesday evening, taking on WPI at 7:00pm. Wellesley will also play at home on Wednesday night, hosting Clark in a key NEWMAC match-up.