Allie Rooney ’16
Staff Writer
This past Sunday March 9, the Smith College basketball team concluded their season as runner ups of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. The Pioneers lost 79–76 to Endicott College, who was seeded second in the tournament, while Smith was seeded fourth. Paulina Solis ’15 led Smith with 17 points. Sydney Parkmond ’14 scored 15 points while classmates Rosa Drummond ’14 and Marissa Munoz-Ruiz ’14 chipped in with 6 points and 2 points, respectively. Lauren Weston ’15 and Mandy Castro ’17 each scored 11 points for Smith. Jazmine Collins ’17 finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds.
Sunday’s game had the audience on the edge of their seats, and each team played with their whole hearts. The game was characterized by intense play, with the lead switching from team to team. Alyssa Barrett ’15 knocked down a three-pointer at the beginning of the second half, putting the Pioneers in the lead. However, Endicott pushed back harder, evening the score once again. In the final second of the game Solis was able to score a triple, making it a one-point game, but Endicott made two free throws to end the game at 79–76.
The Pioneers advanced to the championship game by beating Rivier College 75–67 on Wednesday, March 5, in a quarterfinal game. Drummond ’14 scored 23 points, Solis ’15 had 21, and Parkmond ’14 chipped in with 11 points. The Pioneers then moved on to play Brandeis on Saturday in a semi-final game, earning a 64–61 victory. Collins ’17 paced the team with 13 points, 4 steals and 7 rebounds. Captains Drummond and Parkmond combined for 23 of the team’s points and Paulina Solis ’15 added 10 points and 5 assists.
Three of Smith’s players are graduating this year: Drummond, Parkmond and Munoz-Ruiz. Each player has made significant contributions to the program. Drummond exits as the program’s leading scorer with 1,482 career points. Parkmond finished with a total of 223 offensive rebounds and 110 games played. Munoz-Ruiz finished with 182 career assists. The Pioneers ended their season with a record of 18–12, proving themselves a force to be reckoned with in the second half of their season. Congratulations, Pioneer Basketball, for the amazing season!
