Springfield, Mass. - December 30, 2014 (Springfield College Athletic Communications)- Behind 18 points and 10 rebounds from junior forward Emily Gins (Fort Myers, Fla.) the Springfield College women's basketball program defeated Connecticut College 58-50 in the opening game of the Hampton Inn West Springfield/Naismith Classic on Tuesday afternoon in Blake Arena.

With the win, the Pride have now won three-straight and improve to 5-4 overall, while the Camels fell to 7-2 on the year. As a team, Connecticut College went 17-for-63 (27.0%) from the field, while Springfield was 23-for-50 (46.0%) on the day. Along with Gins' impressive performance, senior Jaimie Bickelhaupt (Brookfield, Conn.) netted 14 and picked up nine rebounds, while junior guard Heather Lewis (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) posted 14 points in the victory.

For the Camels, Liz Malman (Mendham, N.J.) led the way with 16 points, while Carlee Smith (Willimantic, Conn.) added 11 and two assists in the defeat. Smith needs just four more helpers to reach the 300 assist barrier in her prolific playing career.

After jumping out to a 7-2 lead following a three-pointer from Bickelhaupt, followed by a jumper from Gins, the Camels went on a 7-0 run to take a 9-7 lead, before Riley Fake (Brockport, N.Y.) regained the lead for the Pride with a triple in the corner.

After Connecticut College netted three-straight points to cut its deficit to one, Bickelhaupt and Gins converted on back-to-back chances to give the hosts a 21-16 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the first half.

Lewis then hit a jumpshot to give the Pride a seven-point advantage, before the Camels came back to within five following a pair of free throws from Jenna Lovett (Tolland, Conn.). After another bucket in transition for Lewis, Smith then hit a jumper to close out the half, with the Pride leading 25-20.

Springfield jumped out to an early nine-point lead in the second half, leading 35-26 before sophomore center Ava Adamopoulos (Ludlow, Mass.) converted on a lay-up underneath the basket to give the Pride a 37-26 lead midway through the second half.

A three-pointer from Kaitlyn Cresencia (New Providence, N.J.) sparked a 5-0 run for Connecticut College to bring them to within six, but a Bickelhaupt lay-up in transition after a steal from Danielle Racette (North Adams, Mass.) quickly halted the Camels, helping the Pride retain its lead.

Coming out a time-out, the Pride extended its lead to ten after Lewis nailed a pull-up jumper and converted the free-throw to make it 44-34, Springfield, with just over eight minutes remaining.

After a 9-4 run from the Camels to cut its deficit to five points, Bickelhaupt converted a three-point play to end the burst, before Smith canned a triple for the Camels to make it 51-46, Springfield.

Willa McKinley (Westport, N.Y.) converted a pair of free-throws to cut the Pride's lead to just one with 2:30 remaining in the game. Holding a 54-50 lead late in the contest, Lewis nailed a pair of free-throws to make it a six-point advantage. Gins closed out the game, connecting on both of her free-throws to give the Pride a  58-50 victory.

With the win, Springfield has secured a place in Wednesday's championship game and will take on DeSales at 3:00 p.m. Connecticut College will play in the consolation game against the College of Staten Island at 1 p.m.