Smith College women’s basketball cruises to 6-0 start with win over Williams

NORTHAMPTON — The Smith College women’s basketball team continued its hot start to the season Wednesday night, defeating Williams, 67-48, for the team’s sixth straight win to begin the new campaign.

Despite a slow start to the beginning of the first quarter, the Bears found their stride as the opening frame went on. Felicia Fongemie led the way with 10 points in the first 10 minutes, hitting four of her first five attempts from the field and both 3-pointers she took.

Quarters two through four saw Fongemie cool off, but the junior still finished with a team-high 15 points, along with one rebound and one assist.

Smith got its first lead halfway through the first quarter, consistently building on it and widening the margin while never looking back.

The Bears made the most their of transition opportunities, scoring 15 of the team’s 22 points in the opening quarter off the fast-break.

“It was our job to keep them off the boards so that we could get some looks in transition,” Smith head coach Lynn Hersey said. “I thought we did a good job in the first half of getting ourselves a lead by doing those two things pretty well.”

With a sizable lead, the Bears utilized their depth to keep fresh legs on the court at all times. The bench players came in and played well, producing 33 of the team’s total points.

Ten different players saw notable playing time Wednesday night, with Maggie Fleming finishing with a team-high 29 minutes despite not being in the starting lineup.

The junior filled up the stat-sheet off the bench for Smith, tallying eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

“I think we’re pretty deep, and have some really great contributors that come off the bench and provide good sparks for us in all positions,” Hersey said.

Heading into the half ahead 43-26, it looked as if the Bears may have been on pace for one of their biggest margins of victory of the season.

The second half told a different story than the first, however, with Smith struggling to produce offensively. Luckily for the Bears, the early lead was large enough not to create issues, but Hersey wasn’t pleased with how her squad finished down the stretch.

After shooting 63% from the field through the first two quarters, Smith shot just 24% over the final 20 minutes.

“The second half was not the type of basketball we typically play, but that’s part of early-season games,” Hersey said. “It’s not just winning, it’s how you win, and that really matters to me. And so we have some work to do.”

Starting the season 6-0, the Bears have dominated most of their matchups to this point. Coming into Wednesday’s game, the team was winning by an average of 28.2 points per game.

Wednesday’s victory over the Ephs showcased more of the same elements of the winning culture that Hersey has developed for her program over the years.

Smith hasn’t opened the season with more than six consecutive wins since the 2019-2020 season. This year’s version of the squad seems capable, but it will need to look more like it did during the first half of Wednesday’s contest as tougher opponents arise.

The Bears will hope to continue their win streak in a week’s time when they host MIT on Wednesday, December 10. Tipoff from Ainsworth Gym is set for 7 p.m.

“I think we’re built to make a run,” Hersey said. “I think it’s the job of the coaching staff to be really paying attention to not just winning [Wednesday], but like, what elements you need to be building on. Every game you play, every practice, you have to put yourself in the best position when March comes.”