Northampton, Mass. – Host Smith College forced 24 Clark University turnovers and held them to 25 percent shooting in the first half en route to a convincing 68-44 win over the Cougars in New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) on Monday evening.

With the win, the Pioneers improve to 8-15 and 4-10 in conference play, while the Scarlet and White see their brief two game winning streak snapped as they slip to 5-18 and 2-12 in the NEWMAC.

Smith was paced by first-year forward Samantha Alakai (Honolulu, Hawai'i), who scored a game-high 16 points, to go along with a game-best four steals. Classmateand fellow forward Amanda Barriscale (Mill Valley, Calif.) notched her third double-double of the season, tallying 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Paige Marquez (San Francisco, Calif.) added 14 points and pulled down a career-high seven rebounds.

For Clark, Aretha Sullivan (Worcester, Mass.) posted 12 points and three helpers, while Sam O'Gara (Worcester, Mass.) added 11 points, two assists and two steals, while junior forward Sami Dokus (Littleton, Mass.) chipped seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.

The Pioneers put the defensive pressure on the Cougars early in the first half, holding Clark to just six field goals through the opening 20 minutes on their way to a 34-14 lead at the break.

Smith never trailed in the contest, as Jade Chihara (Lahaina, Hawai'i) knocked down a jumper off the opening tip-off and Smith was off and running.

The Cougars battled back with a 9-1 run to open the second half, highlighted by a three from junior guard Brooke Brennan (Weston, Mass.) that cut Smith's advantage down to 12 (35-23) with 15:50 to play.

Smith wasted little time building their lead back up to 19 (47-28) when Barriscale converted a conventional three-point play with 10:27 remaining.

The hosts continued to capitalize on the Cougars' turnovers throughout as they turned the miscues into a whopping 25 points.

Both teams return to the court on Wednesday as Clark travels to the Coast Guard Academy (7 p.m.) and Smith hosts WPI for Senior Night at 7 p.m.