After back-to-back wins on their home court, Smith basketball will continue on to the next round of the NCAA championship. The pioneers pulled off a triumphant 69-59 win over SUNY Cobleskill on Friday, March 7th, sending them to a Pioneer Valley faceoff against Amherst College on Saturday, where graduate student Ally Landau ’26 scored a buzzer beater in the final seconds of the match to earn Smith a 52-50 win. The pioneers will play at the Sweet 16 this Friday, March 14th.
Both games were gritty, exciting and packed with spectators. Chants of “Let’s Go Smith!” and “D-up, d-up d-up!” could be heard throughout the building as Smith’s student section set Ainsworth ablaze with energy both days of the tournament.
Smith’s tightly knit defensive structure and consistent offensive strategy set the tone last Friday. When SUNY Cobleskill’s offense pushed, Smith pushed back. The Pioneers led the charge in rebounds and assists, but the game was tight, with ten lead changes in total.
In the third period, Smith pulled ahead, leading 55-44 going into the final period. SUNY Cobleskill made a final attempt in the fourth quarter, but Smith did not concede, sinking 14 points of their own to defend their home gym for the final 69-59 win.
“I think it shows how we handle adversity,” said Hannah Martin ’27, regarding the match. “They could have easily taken that momentum and gotten even closer with three minutes left, but we didn’t let them.”
The teamwork and cohesiveness of Smith’s game play was critical and evident in each player, from the bench’s excitement and engaged enthusiasm to the starting five’s energy on the glass and in the paint.
“It was telling of the focus of the group when we have one of our sophomores come off the bench — Virginia Johnson — and hit a big three for us, in a really critical part of the game,” said Head Coach Lynn Hersey. “It’s the collective whole doing that throughout the course of the game.”
On Saturday, the Pioneers’ starting five — Martin, Ally Landau ’26, Ella Sylvester ’26, Jazmyn Washington ’25 and Jane Loo ’25 — rallied together on the court, their united front proving to be a dynamic force in offensive plays. Martin led the charge with a career high of 22 points. Landau and Loo were close behind, scoring 17 and 15 points, respectively. Quick passes and well-crafted plays led the team to their ultimate victory.
Saturday’s gameplay was intense, and every player proved vital to securing the win. Landau returned to the court after Friday’s success with a double-double, racking up 15 points and 11 rebounds throughout the night as well as four assists and two steals.
Though the Pioneers had a lead going into the fourth quarter, the Mammoths surged ahead in the final period. With less than seven minutes on the clock, Amherst’s Annie McCarthy sank a three-pointer to start a 7-0 run for the Mammoths. Landau then scored a layup, breaking the Pioneers’ scoring drought. With one minute left in the game, the scoreboard read 48-44, with Smith in the lead.
Amherst snagged another layup before fouling Sylvester, who coolly sank two free throws, bringing the score to 50-47. In the final ten seconds of the game, Amherst’s Reagan Pahl shot a three-pointer, tying it up.
With seconds to spare, Smith ran a crucial play. Washington set a screen for Landau, who crossed over her defender and bounded to the basket, earning Smith their fourth Sweet 16 appearance in program history and a spot to play Bowdoin this upcoming Friday, March 14.
When asked about their game mentality in the face of adversity, Coach Hersey, Landau and Washington discussed the team’s ability to stay composed on the floor, trusting in each other and their training.
“It takes a full effort […] the execution of the players to the belief of the person who has the ball in their hand to step up in that moment,” Hersey said.
That belief was definitely evident on the court for the Pioneers, as their defensive pressure and cohesive teamwork secured the double win.
When asked about her game-winning play which sent the 28-2 pioneers to the next round, Landau said that she came to Smith for games like this. “I think every athlete dreams of a moment like that–packed home court, game on the line and Jazy set me up perfectly with a screen. I got a wide open look. It can’t get any better than that,” she said.
Looking ahead towards this Friday’s face-off against Bowdoin, where Smith won in the Elite Eight last year (52-47), the Pioneers are entering the match with teamwork, trust and tenacity on the court. Coach Hersey said that reflecting on the season so far, the Pioneers have “a lot to be proud of and a lot to go achieve.”
The Dean of the College Alexandra Keller and President Sarah are sponsoring the first 100 Smith students’ tickets that want to attend, as well as a fan bus headed to Maine at 2 p.m. on Friday to see the action at Bowdoin live. The game will also be livestreamed on the NCAA website for any fans that cannot attend in person.
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