It’ll be a rematch in the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Championship game. 

Smith College took on Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the Div. III semifinals on Thursday and it was a battle throughout, with neither team able to separate from one another. 

The Pioneers took a late lead, knocked down their free throws late and a Titan 3-pointer just before the final buzzer didn’t fall, as Smith held on to reach the national title game for the second straight season with a 49-47 victory at the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia. 

“That was a grind,” Pioneer coach Lynn Hersey said. “I think everyone in the stadium knew it was a grind. Oshkosh is a great team, a very battle-tested and well-coached team and an opponent we played last year. We knew coming in how dimensional they were. It was something we focused on all week. We certainly have a lot of respect for their program. We were fortunate enough to make one more play than them this year.” 

Smith (31-2) will take on New York University in the championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Virginia. NYU beat Wisconsin-Stout, 74-55, in the semifinals and last year. NYU beat the Pioneers, 51-41, in the title game last year. 

It’s the first time there has ever been a rematch in a National Championship game in Div. 3 women’s basketball history. 

“NYU has a lot of weapons,” Hersey said. “They’ve only had a few close games this year. We have our work cut out for us. We have to recover, get our mindset ready. We know them pretty well right now. Ultimately we’ll get to work and control the controllables. We have a great group of guards. The pressure will be the early battle and there will be more battles following that. 

“It’s exciting to have another opportunity,” Hersey added. “Not just playing NYU but to win a national championship. We’ll go in with the mindset of compete at our best and taking the body of work we’ve had this year. We’ve played some really good teams this tournament and found a way to win. That’s the mentality we’ll be taking into Saturday’s game.” 

After reaching the semifinals in 2023 and the championship game last year, Smith is looking to take another step forward and bring the trophy back to Northampton. 

“It’s something I never could have dreamed of when I committed to Smith,” Pioneer Jane Loo said. “I feel grateful that our coaching staff prepares us the way they do. I’ve never played for a coaching staff that is so intricate in the details. I can play freely because we have all the tools to succeed. I don’t see any pressure to go and have to win. That’s the goal but I have full faith in my team we’ll go out there and take care of business. I don’t think anybody should count us out.” 

Smith’s Ally Landoue — who had one basket going into the fourth — got going late, scoring a pair of baskets before Loo hit a 3 with 5:13 to play that tied the game at 42. 

Hannah Martin then hit a jumper for the Pioneers then got to the rim for two to give Smith a 46-42 lead with 2:15 to play. 

Oshkosh’s Sammi Beyer made a 3 with 1:13 to play to cut it to 46-45 but after the Pioneers turned it over, Landoue stripped Avery Poole and the ball went off Poole, giving Smith the ball back with 45 seconds to play. 

The Pioneers ran clock and forced the Titans to play the foul game, with Pioneer Virginia Johnson making a pair with 15 seconds left to give Smith a 48-45 lead. 

Oshkosh’s Kate Huml got to the rim for a quick layup but Martin was fouled and made one of two to give the Pioneers a 49-47 lead with 7.3 seconds left and Alex Rondorf’s 3 on the other end didn’t fall, sending Smith back to the championship game. 

“In big moments like this we have to trust our experience,” Martin said. “We haven’t had an easy game in this tournament and have been tested every single game, every single quarter, basically every single minute. Even when things aren’t going our way we huddle together, take a deep breath and tell ourselves that we’ve been here before, we’ve been here countless times and won’t let the moment get too big for us because this is what we’re made for.” 

The Pioneer defense made life difficult for the Titans throughout, as Oshkosh finished just 2-22 from 3-point land. Titan leading scorer Kayce Vaile was limited to just two points. 

“I thought their post player [Vaile] was a big factor in their offense,” Hersey said. “She was 1-6 and scored two points. We did our job on the inside and that was a big focal point for us. We contested a lot of their 3’s. They got some good looks but for the most part we were able to put some pressure on those shooters.” 

After a slow start offensively for both sides, Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 32 seconds to play in the opening quarter to give Smith a 14-9 lead after 10 minutes. 

The Pioneers pulled ahead 20-13 after Loo hit a 3 with 7:27 to go in the second quarter but the Titans (27-5)  held Smith to just one field goal the rest of the half, closing on a 13-2 run capped off by a Paige Seckar basket with seven seconds remaining that put Oshkosh ahead, 23-22, at the intermission.  

“We were playing their pace in the first half,” Hersey said. “We needed to get back to transition basketball, getting good stops and trying to generate better looks for us.” 

After going 11 minutes and 36 seconds with just two field goals, the Smith offense got going midway through the third quarter. Landou knocked down a jumper, Johnson nailed a 3 before Martin scored from the mid-range then hit a pair from the line to give the Pioneers a 33-32 lead with 2:02 to go in the third. 

Alex Rondorf and Seckar closed the quarter with baskets for Oshkosh, however, to give the Titans a 36-33 lead going into the fourth. 

Martin led the way with 18 points and five rebounds for Smith. Loo scored 13 points, Johnson tallied eight points while Landau scored six points and snagged eight rebounds in the win. 

“We’re excited about what’s ahead but also really want to compliment my team,” Hersey said. “We had a stretch where we went eight minutes where we couldn’t get a bucket to fall but we kept our poise and relied on our defense. We kept control of the boards and found a way to generate some momentum in the second half. All games come in different forms and different ways.

“The mental fortitude of this group is what you saw tonight,” Hersey added. “Our ability to not play our best and take some great strategies for Oshkosh, make some adjustments and keep our composure to make a push in the last quarter to win the game. Definitely will chalk that up to the experience of this group.”