NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The No. 3 Clark University women's basketball team (19-8) will travel to No. 1 Smith (26-1) for the NEWMAC Championship on Sunday afternoon from Ainsworth Gymnasium. 

The Cougars have reached the NEWMAC Tournament for the 18th time and won their first game since 2017 with a 65-53 victory over WPI in the Quarterfinals, earned them their eighth Semifinal appearance in program history, and registered their sixth Semifinal win with a 68-51 victory against Babson.

Clark is 3-2 all-time in the NEWMAC Championship and topped Smith 85-75 in their lone meeting in the Championship in 1998. The Cougars are seeking their 11th NCAA Tournament in program history and would be their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004.

Game Info
No. 3 Clark at No. 1 Smith
Saturday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m. – Ainsworth Gymnasium
Tickets | Live Stats | Video

Ticket Info

• General Admission: $10
• Admission: Children Under 12 and NEWMAC Students with ID get in for free

Series History
Clark and Smith have met 58 times in program history, with the Cougars holding a 32-26 advantage. Smith has won the last 10 matchups and the Cougars earned their last win against the Bears in 2016. The Bears won the matchup 76-64 on February 7 led by 19 points from Hannah Martin. Felicia Fongemie (15) and Kate Hackney (11) also reached double-figures. Sophomore Cyriah Coleman led the Cougars with 22 points and first-year Atiya Watson added 16 points.

Scouting the Cougars

• Clark earned a spot in the NEWMAC Tournament after winning eight conference games, which was their most NEWMAC victories in a season since the 2013-14 season. The scarlet and white topped MIT, Springfield, Coast Guard, and Emerson, who all reached the NEWMAC Tournament. In the Quarterfinals, the Cougars tallied a victory over WPI.
• The Cougars average 67.1 points, 41.3 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 12.5 steals, and hold their opponents to 55.9 points per night. The points per night rank third in the conference.
• Coleman leads the scarlet and white with an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 assists per game, while adding 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest. Coleman ranks third in the NEWMAC in assists and sixth in the league in steals. The sophomore has reached double-figures in 17 contests this season, including 24 points against Wheaton. She posted double-doubles against Salem State and Wesleyan.
• First-year Atiya Watson averages 11.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per night. She ranks second among all NEWMAC first-years in points, while ranking sixth in the league in steals per game. Watson has reached double-figures in 15 contests this season, including a career-high 22 points against Suffolk.
• Junior Kailey Rios is averaging 9.8 points and has connected on a team-high 55 three-pointers, which ranks fourth in the conference. She has reached double-figures in 12 games, including scoring a season-high 23 points against Wesleyan. Rios has connected on four or more three-pointers in five different games.
• Fellow junior Catherine Antwi adds 8.6 points and a team-high 2.2 steals per night, which ranks fifth in the NEWMAC. She has buried 40 three-pointers, which is tied for second on the squad. Antwi has reached double-figures 14 times, including a season-high 16 points against Emerson.
• Shipley ranks second in the NEWMAC in blocks per game with an average of 1.8 blocks. She blocked a career-high six shots in a conference win over Salve Regina. Shipley pulled down 10 rebounds against Coast Guard.

Scouting the Bears

• Smith reached the NEWMAC Championship for the sixth straight year after winning the previous five conference titles with victories against No. 8 Emerson and No. 5 Springfield.
• The Bears average a NEWMAC-leading 74.3 points, 38.4 rebounds, 13.3 assists, and 9.4 steals, while holding opponents to a league-best 49.7 points per game.
• Virginia Johnson leads the Bears with an average of 12.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per night. She has reached double-figures in 17 games and scored a season-high 20 points against Springfield earlier this season. Johnson tallied two double-doubles (Husson, Emerson).
• Martin also averages in double-figures with 10.5 points, while adding 4.4 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 1.4 steals per contest. Martin has reached double-digits in 11 games this season and scored a season-high 24 points against Salve Regina.
• Fongemie (9.6) and Uta Nakamura (9.4) are third and fourth on the Bears in scoring. Fongemie has reached double-figures in 14 games and scored a season-high 21 points against MIT. Nakamura has scored in double-digits 12 times and scored 19 against Husson.