After more than two weeks off, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team are back on the floor Thursday taking on Smith College.
 
The Hawks were scheduled to stay in Northampton, MA Thursday and Friday and compete in the Smith College Holiday Tournament with their opening round coming against RIT Thursday, but due to the uptick in COVID-19 cases around the state, numerous teams dropped out leading to a single-game rematch against the Pioneers.
 
The last time SUNY New Paltz faced Smith was in the Hawk Center for a second round NCAA Tournament matchup where the visiting Pioneers upset the hosting Hawks, 62-60, with the game coming down to a final shot at the buzzer with SUNY New Paltz unable to connect, ending its hopes of back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances.  
 
"They're a really quick, athletic team. They're really good in transition. They have some good shooters. It was the game that ended our season, so I definitely remember that game. I'm really excited to get to come back and play them again and hopefully beat them," said Hawks junior guard Cassidy Deaver. "It's almost nice to get to go play on their home floor and get the opportunity to beat them on theirs like they did to us." 
 
 
Smith's run into the NCAA Tournament stopped there, however, as the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pioneers were a young and talented group last time the Hawks faced them, and this time around they return 12 players from that squad who are no doubt eager to get another chance for a deep postseason push, picking up where they were abruptly stopped short two years ago.
 
Four of five starters return for the Pioneers, including second-year guard Amelia Clairmont, senior forwards Katelyn Pickunka, Elle Jo Whalen and senior guard Dashelle Gleissner, along with second-year guard Jessie Ruffner who played 30 minutes off the bench. Clairmont was the catalyst during the game for Smith, scoring a game-high 20 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field, including 4-for-8 from 3-point range. Pickunka was the team's second-leading scorer in the matchup, playing just 18 minutes and finishing with 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting with seven rebounds.
 
Pickunka leads the team offensively through nine games of the 2021-22 season, averaging nearly 12 points and eight rebounds per game. Ruffner follows, averaging 11 points and about five rebounds a contest. Gleissner, although averaging just less than seven points per game, is the facilitator offensively, totaling a team-leading 41 assists and 20 steals, pacing her team in both categories. 
The Pioneers have lost just once so far, which came against perennial power and three-time national runner-up, Bowdoin College Nov. 20, 69-52. The loss to the Polar Bears halted a 4-0 start to the season where they defeated Castleton, Vassar, Rowan and Mitchell College, but since the lone loss, Smith bounced back with four consecutive wins over Trinity College, Eastern Connecticut State, Williams and most recently, New England College on Dec. 10.
 
As a team, the Pioneers average about 68 points per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc. Defensively they've been stingy, allowing just less than 57 points per game on 34 percent shooting from the floor, including 29 percent from 3-point range. They've out-rebounded their opposition 377-299, but have been prone to turnovers, as they average more than 20 a contest. The Hawks, known for their active effort defensively, are forcing more than 24 turnovers a game with 96 steals on the season, nearly 12 a contest.
 
"Game plan defensively is to know the scout and to make people that aren't necessarily scorers [try and] score the ball," Deaver said. "Not let them create and not let people that are good catch and shoot shooters, not shoot and force them to do things they're not really good or comfortable at."
 
SUNY New Paltz returns to action after an up-and-down opening SUNYAC road weekend where it lost to SUNY Potsdam for the first time since 2014, but bounced back with a dominating performance against SUNY Plattsburgh, 77-38. Coach Jamie Seward switched up his lineup in the second game and had big performances from Lexi Van Vorst (career-high 22 points) and Semaiah Williams, with the latter making her first start and pulling down a career-high 16 rebounds.
 
Van Vorst is one of three Hawks averaging at least 13 points per game, as junior Maddie Gillis and sophomore Brianna Fitzgerald are totaling 13.5 and 15.3 points per game, respectively. Fitzgerald in her first collegiate season, has impressed thus far, not only leading the team in points but shooting an efficient 45.5 percent from the field, while pulling down a team-leading 6.5 rebounds per game to go along with 23 assists, 18 steals and four blocks. Gillis leads the team in minutes played, averaging 31.4 per game and is shooting about 36 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range, while also averaging 5.4 rebounds per game and leading the team with 27 assists.
 
"I think we're most looking forward to rebounding off those games," Deaver said. "[Taking] what we learned from those games and being a better team from that weekend and not letting it drag us down for the rest of the season."
 
With the Smith Tournament turning into a single game contest, the Hawks added another opponent on their schedule as they will take on Middlebury College in the Hawk Center Jan. 4 following its outing against the Pioneers Thursday. There will be no spectators permitted for the game against Middlebury. 
 
SUNY New Paltz is set to tip-off against Smith at Ainsworth Gym Thursday at 3 p.m.
 
To view Smith's Spectator Policy, click here.



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