March Madness has again hit Smith College.
The Pioneers had a 69 to 61 victory over Messiah University on Saturday night in Northampton, Massachusetts, advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament.
Smith senior Jessie Ruffner led the team in scoring with 29 points as well as 13 rebounds.
At a post-game press conference, Ruffner said she thrives under the pressure of competition,
“As a captain and a leader, I know I have to be very steady for the team," she said.
Last March, Smith made the Final Four — the first appearance in school history.
Smith Coach Lynn Hersey said her team was pushed on a lot of levels by Messiah on Saturday.
"It was a great game. Really competitive," she said. "Two teams that have some really veteran players who were battling it out tonight, who were pretty experienced in the NCAA tournament."
Hersey described it as "a high-level game, and a chess match between the two coaches." She said Messiah made the Pioneers better.
"And we’re more battle-tested heading into the next round,” she said.
Next up for Smith — the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh on Friday.
Some other Massachusetts teams — Springfield College, Western New England, Framingham State and UMass Dartmouth — also made the tournament but were knocked out over the weekend.
Disclosure: Smith College and Springfield College are among the institutions that financially support NEPM.
