Women’s Basketball Falls to Smith College, 76-51

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Elms College freshman forward Denisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.) scored a team-high 16 points and collected a team-best seven rebounds, but Smith College's Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H.) finished with a game-best 19 points to help spark the Pioneers to a 76-51 victory over the Blazers in Tuesday evening's non-conference women's basketball game in Northampton, Mass.

With the loss, Elms slips to 1-2 on the season, while Smith remains undefeated and improves to 4-0 overall.

Smith exploded out of the gate scoring 13 straight points over the first 4:40 to take a 13-0 lead before a Parks jumper halted the run. Smith extended its lead to as many as 23 (29-6 at the 9:55 mark) before a layup by Blazers' senior guard Carolyn Talmadge (Wilbraham, Mass.) sparked a 15-7 run that pulled Elms to within 15 at 36-21 with 4:37 to play in the opening period.

The Pioneers then scored 10 of the next 16 points to take 46-27 lead at halftime.

Smith shot at a 56.8 clip for the first 20 minutes hitting on 21 of 37 from the field and forced 10 Blazers turnovers to help stake its 19 point lead at intermission.

The Pioneers used a layup by Amanda Zakoske (Jacksonville, Fla.), Drummond trey and two Drummond free throws to increase the advantage to 53-27 and maintained at least a 26-point cushion for the remainder of the contest and led by as many as 36 during the second half to help seal the squad's fourth-straight victory.

Talmadge finished with nine points and four assists in the losing effort, while senior forward Erika Murphy (Torrington, Conn.) chipped in six points.

Junior guard Jennifer Normandie (Westford, Mass.) also added six points off the bench for the Blazers.  

Ellie Giles (Charlottesville, N.C.) hauled in a game-high nine boards and netted eight points for Smith, while Maddie Page (Arvada, Colo.) and Carly McIver (Marblehead, Mass.) each connected on 3 of 5 from the floor and finished with eight points apiece off the bench for the Pioneers.

Elms returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 30 when it hosts Anna Maria College in its 2011-12 non-conference home-opener. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at Picknelly Arena.