POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 23, 2008) -- In the second Sunday game of the Seven Sisters Classic, the Smith College women's basketball team showed its offensive firepower in the first half and fended off a Bryn Mawr comeback in the second half for a 67-54 win. Jessica Welk (Arlington, WA/Arlington) and Berit Schelde (Holstebro, Denmark/Falkonergaardens) combined for 34 points to lead Smith.

The Pioneers won both their games this weekend and improve to 3-1 on the season. The Owls went 1-1 in the tournament, their first two games of the year.

After heading into the locker rooms down 40-24, it was Bryn Mawr's intensity that set the tone for the first ten minutes of the second half. After an Emilie Naccarato (Valparaiso, IN/Wheeler) three pointer and a free throw by Jessica Allen (Reading, PA/Reading), Bryn Mawr cut Smith's lead to 44-34 with 12:51 to play. The teams traded baskets on the next four possessions, as Smith kept its ten-point lead, 48-38, with 10:26 left.

After nearly two minutes of scoreless ball, Welk hit a jumper and sparked a 9-0 run as Smith opened up its largest lead of the game, 57-38, with 7:40 left in the game. But Bryn Mawr installed a press and forced three straight Smith turnovers, starting a 9-0 run of its own that included five straight points by Lindsey Darvin (Gladstone, NJ/Bernards). The Owls cut the lead to 57-47 with 3:30 on the clock, but that is as close as they would get as Smith survived for the win.

Smith played an efficient first half in all aspects of the game. The Pioneers used a half court zone trap to force 12 Bryn Mawr turnovers and rode the hot shooting of Welk to earn their 40-24 halftime lead. Welk went 6-for-10, including 2-for3 from behind the ark, for 16 first half points. Six other Smith players also scored in the Pioneers' quick and balanced offensive attack. Ten of their 15 first half field goals were assisted. The Pioneers also made all seven of their first half free throws and went 10-for-10 in the game.

Shelde finished with 14 points on five of 12 shooting. Megan Kiefer (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park) played 23 minutes off the bench for Smith and keyed their scrappy defense. Kiefer finished the game with five steals, including a burst of back-to-back steals and layups for a personal 4-0 run in the first half. Courtney Parker (Ocean City, MD/Stephen Decatur) also had a productive day for the Owls, coming off the bench to score 10 points on five of nine shooting and pull down eight rebounds. Smith shot 46 per cent on the afternoon.

Bryn Mawr was led once again by its starting forwards, Shanika Bridges-King (Roxbury, MA/English) and Allen, who scored 18 and 15 points respectively. Bridges-King also had a game-high nine rebounds and five steals. Naccarato had 11 points for the Owls, all of which came in the second