Women’s basketball: Smith College overpowers Mount Holyoke, 87-36

NORTHAMPTON — The Smith College women’s basketball team throttled Mount Holyoke, 87-36, in a NEWMAC meeting at Ainsworth Gym on Wednesday night.

After losing their first game of the season on Tuesday against Tufts, the Bears came back home with a vengeance just 24 hours later.

Smith utilized a different starting lineup against the Lyons, with Alina Abdulina, Lena Lipani, Shea Montague and Jillian Nowicki all starting their first games of the season.

Each one of the four played in more than double their average minutes to date, showcasing the strong depth throughout the roster.

“These are the players we play against every day in practice,” Hersey said. “So the amount of depth that you can bring and how you can elevate your depth elevates everybody else. That’s part of being prepared for this year and also preparing for next year.”

In the extra playing time, Montague made the most of her opportunity, scoring a career-high and team-high 14 points in a career-high 24 minutes played.

Shooting from beyond the 3-point line was where the sophomore found success, knocking down 4-of-8 long-range shots in the win.

Coming into Wednesday night, Montague was averaging just 5.6 minutes and 3.1 points per game. Her four 3-pointers on the night matched her total across her first eight appearances so far this season.

“[Montague’s] an elite shooter, and a zone is a great defense for her to play against, because she’s going to get a lot of good looks,” Hersey said. “Our team has a lot of confidence in her perimeter play. I’m happy that she seized the moment, and was confident and really composed in what she knows she can do for this team.”

The Bears found great success against Mount Holyoke’s 2-3 zone, with ball movement and the constant threat of shooting helping to generate open looks.

Nowicki benefitted against the zone in particular, hitting a trio of 3-pointers in a 12-point effort, while also finishing with a game-high five assists.

Smith took advantage of what the defense was giving them, making an unprecedented 17 3-pointers on Wednesday. The team shot an efficient 17-of-27 (63%) from deep, with the total being the most for the program in a game since the 2023-2024 season.

“We’ve got to carry that game to game, and if you can do that, then we’ll be a really hard team to beat,” Hersey said of the team’s 3-point shooting. “It’s nice we did it tonight. We’re always thinking about the consistency of our perimeter game, and I think that’s an area that we’ve still got to focus on and try to improve.”

On the defensive end, the Bears made things difficult for their opponents for the majority of the contest. The team’s 36 points against tied the lowest total from an opponent this season.

Smith came out slow defensively after the half, surrendering 17 points in the third quarter, but shut the Lyons back down in the fourth to the tune of just four points across the final 10 minutes.

Mount Holyoke had to create their shots off the dribble due to the tenacity from its opponent, finishing the game with just two assists as a team in the loss.

Wednesday’s victory for the Bears puts them back in the win column after losing their 14-game winning streak to start the season.

Smith will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 1 p.m. on the road against Salve Regina, hoping to keep building off the dominant win.

“I don’t think we’re peaking yet, which is good,” Hersey said. “I think we have a lot of work to do, and we’re really focused on that work, but I think it’s timing nicely with conference play and being able to be really in rhythm. If you get that rhythm in the playoffs, then it feels really good in terms of being ready for the NCAA tournament.”