Smith Rallies to Top Blue Basketball, 72-61

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- Wellesley College basketball first year Kayla Jang (South Pasadena, Calif.) scored a career-high 17 points but host Smith College topped the Blue, 72-61, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Saturday afternoon at Ainsworth Gym.  

Smith first year Samantha Alakai (Honolulu, Hawaii) matched Jang's game-high with 17 points of her own, finishing as one of four Pioneers in double-figures to help Smith improve to 4-6 on the season and 1-2 in conference play. Wellesley drops to 3-7 overall and 0-3 in NEWMAC action. 

Sophomore Mandy Castro (San Diego, Claif.) scored 12 points for Smith, finishing just shy of a double-double with nine assists. Seniors Alyssa Barrett (Berlin, Conn.) and Lauren Weston (Florence, Mass.) added 14 points off the Smith bench. Barrett and Alakai also grabbed five rebounds apiece.

Jang added five assists and three rebounds for the Blue, who also got a career-high 15 points from sophomore Ailis Hanley (Cranston, R.I.). Hanley shot 6-for-8 from the floor and added six rebounds. Senior Kendall Bianchi (Arlington, Va.) added eight points, knocking down both of her three-point attempts off the bench. Senior Morgyne Weaver (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and junior Chelsi Scott (Portland, Mich.) both added seven points for Wellesley.

Both Jang and Alakai scored eight points to lead their respective side in the first half of a contest that featured nine ties and seven lead changes. The Blue took the largest lead of the first just before the half when Hanely knocked down a jumper to give Wellesley a 30-26 advantage. Weston then knocked down a jumper for Smith before the Blue entered the break with a 30-26 lead. 

Wellesley took its largest lead of the game under a minute into the second half when a three-pointer from Jang gave the Blue a 33-26 lead with 19:11 to play. However, Smith rallied with an 11-1 run over the next three minutes, taking a 37-34 lead following a layup from Alakai at 16:05 of the second. 

The Blue rallied to tie the score three times over the next eight and half minutes before Scott knocked down a layup at 7:35 to give Wellesley its first advantage, 52-50, since the opening minutes of the second. Wellesley's lead was short lived as Barrett knocked down back-to-back three-pointers and Weston made back-to-back layups as part of a 10-3 Pioneer run to give Smith a 60-55 lead with five minutes to play. 

Jang converted on a pair of free throws to close the gap to 60-57 but the Pioneers again countered with a run, this time scoring seven unanswered to jump to a 67-57 advantage. Smith then knocked down its free throws down the stretch to hold off the Blue for the 72-61 win.

Both teams will continue NEWMAC play on Wednesday evening at Babson College's Staake Gymnasium. Wellesley will host Emerson at 8:00 PM following Smith's matchup with Babson at 6:00 PM.