The women's basketball team ended its season last night against the number two seeded White Mules of Colby College in the first round of the first-ever NESCAC basketball tournament. The Jumbos were close for most of the game, but couldn't find their shot, and Colby outscored them 24-9 from the free throw line en route to a 65-54 defeat.
The game started off slowly, with only a combined eight points scored in the first seven minutes of the ballgame. Both teams had opportunities, but Colby went 1-5 from the line in the opening minutes and the Jumbos missed a number of close opportunities early on.
Colby did manage a six-point lead, at 11-5, on a Caitlin Borque hook shot, but Tufts snuck right back in with two short hook shots from sophomore Emily Goodman, and a deuce each from juniors Jayme Busnengo and Katie Kehrberger over the next two and a half minutes to tie the game up at 13 with 7:00 to go.
During the rest of the first half, Colby slowly built on its lead. Senior Jen Hallee converted a long pass off a fast break to give Colby a four point lead with 5:40 remaining in the half. A short jumper by senior Kim Condon pushed the lead to seven with 1:50 remaining, and Hallee converted an old-fashioned three point play off of another fast break ten seconds later to give the Mules their largest lead of the half, at 29-20. Jumbos sophomore Erin Harrington drained a three-pointer in the closing seconds to keep the Jumbos within striking distance.
While a six-point deficit was by no means an ideal situation for the Jumbos to be in, Tufts was fortunate to be that close. The visitors shot just 33 percent from the field, missing a number of easy opportunities. Colby's defense frequently left Tufts with little time on the shot clock, forcing the Jumbos into ill-advised scoring opportunities.
Colby's halftime lead came without the help of its leading scorer, Sarah Walsh. Walsh, who averages 13.2 points per game, was held to only four points in the first half. Condon and Hallee picked up the slack with seven and six points, respectively, as Colby did a good job spreading the ball around.
In the second half, Tufts kept trying to close the gap, but could get no closer than five until the ten-minute mark. Sophomore Erin Harrington hit the second of her four three pointers to cut the lead to 40-36.
Colby continued to hold the Jumbos at arm's length, though, as sophomore point guard Bianca Belcher hit a free throw and sophomore Christine O'Donnell added a baseline jumper with 7:50 remaining to push the Mule lead back to seven, at 43-36.
Jumbo freshman Maritsa Christoudias answered right back with a three-pointer 30 seconds later to reel Colby back in to within four points of the stubborn visitors. It was the closest that Tufts would get for the remainder of the game, however, and it would be over five minutes before the Jumbos would score again.
With 6:26 remaining, the clock finally struck midnight for this would-be Cinderella team. Goodman picked up her fourth foul, sending Colby junior Katy Lawson to the line. Lawson hit the front end of her two free throws, but her second miss was rebounded by Walsh, who tossed the ball in the hoop to complete a backwards three-point play. That kicked off a 9-0 Colby run that effectively put the game away.
Tufts did not just roll over, however. Down 13 with 2:15 to play, Kehrberger hit a jumper from the right side to cut the lead to 11 and break the Jumbos five-minute scoring drought. Harrington added her third and fourth three pointers of the game to bring Tufts within nine with under a minute remaining.
Christoudias was then fouled behind the three point line, and the freshman, who shot just 51.4 percent from the line during the regular season, made all three free throws, cutting the White Mule lead to seven with 27 seconds remaining. But it was too late for Tufts, as sophomore Jasmine Ashe hit five of six free throws during the last minute to ice the game.
Free throws were the key for the While Mules as Colby outscored Tufts 24-9 from the line. Coupled with the Jumbos poor shooting, that free throw difference spelled defeat. Although a tournament loss is disappointing, the Jumbos will return all but senior Shira Fishman into the lineup next year, and the young team should pose even more of a threat for years to come.
