Coming off a weekend which pitted Tufts against difficult opponents, the women's basketball team had the final answer for Regis College on Tuesday night, dominating 71-38 in the non-conference contest. The 33-point blowout brought Tufts' record to 3-2, but the team was less than pleased with its performance against a weak opponent.
Tufts shot only 25 percent in the first half (10-40), still managing to claw to a 13-point halftime lead. Junior center and leading scorer Emily Goodman missed her first 11 shots from the field, and finished 3-19 on the night.
"We were coming off of a tough weekend," coach Janice Savitz said. "Last year we had an easy time [with Regis], and it took us a little while to establish ourselves. Sometimes we tend to play down to the level of our competition and play sloppy and so forth."
Despite the sub-par level of play, Tufts had its way with Regis, and the 33-point margin was its largest in two years. Goodman led the team with 12 points, redeeming herself with 6-8 shooting from the free-throw line. She also recorded a game-high 15 rebounds. Senior guard Katie Kehrberger was the only other Jumbo in double figures, scoring ten points on 4-9 shooting.
With the large lead and the inevitable win, Savitz was able to clear her bench. All 13 players saw time, and the bench players accounted for 38 points on 44 percent shooting - the starters, meanwhile, compiled 31 points on 23 percent shooting. Freshman Krissi Nierenberg scored a career-high eight points and pulled down six rebounds. Freshman Erin Connolly was successful beyond the arc, going 2-2 from downtown for six points.
"In this type of game, it's great to see production by everybody," Savitz said. "Everybody contributed. There are certain times when somebody will step to the forefront. I thought that we got good play out of kids who haven't seen a lot of playing time."
While Tufts was able to rest its starters a bit, Regis ran out of lifelines. Only seven players entered the game, five of whom played 30-plus minutes. The Pride were led by Cait Connolly and Zoi Lazarakis, who scored fourteen and seven, respectively.
Tufts held Regis to a dismal 26.3 percent shooting on the evening, although Tufts' 32.5 shooting was only a hair better. Three-point shooting may have been the only bright spot for the Jumbos, who hit five of eight from downtown for a season-high 62.5 percent.
"We have to be ready to play," Savitz said. "Teams like that will celebrate every basket against a team like Tufts. I think that we are a target for a lot of teams, and we can't have any mental of physical letdowns."
Junior co-captain Hillary Dunn picked up seven assists, giving her 26 on the year, or an average of 6.5 a game. Senior co-captain Jayme Busnego had a quiet night from the floor, scoring five points, but she picked up ten rebounds, two assists, and three steals in the game.
Tonight, the Jumbos continue their rigorous schedule with a 7 p.m. game against a surprising 4-1 Lasell team in Newton. Lasell, traditionally a pushover opponent, has fared well this season with two enormous freshmen, checking in at 6'4" and 6'2".
"Lasell is a much improved team," Savitz said. "They are playing with a lot of confidence - they are a young and restless kind of team. That's another game that we can't take for granted. Just because we have Tufts on our uniforms doesn't mean we will automatically win."
