In a game uncannily resembling the men's game the week before, the women's basketball team was merely one play away from topping the top-ranked team in New England and second-ranked team in the nation. Leading for the majority of the game, the Jumbos held a potent Bowdoin offense in check until ten seconds remained and Polar Bear Lora Trenkle drained two free throws to put Bowdoin up by two.
Tufts led by eight points at halftime and as many as 14 early in the second half, but the shots stopped falling, and the Jumbos were held scoreless for the final 10:17 of the game. With the contest tied at 48, and the shot clock off, junior co-captain Hillary Dunn drove hard to the basket and was leveled, but no foul was called. After taking a 50-48 lead on the Trenkle foul shots, Bowdoin (16-1, 5-1) played solid defense for the last ten seconds and did not let the Jumbos get a good shot off.
The final home game of the season proved the most exciting - and closer than anyone had predicted.
"From the start we knew how good they were," senior Katie Kehrberger said. "It was a little intimidating, but we had nothing to lose. We do our best when we are the underdogs."
Bowdoin entered the game leading the conference in field goal, free throw, and three point percentage, yet the team was held to 29 percent shooting from the field, including 1-18 from downtown. Defense has been the women's achilles heel all season, yet it stepped up in a major way, keeping Tufts in the game despite its own lack of scoring down the stretch.
The game opened with the Polar Bears jumping out to an early lead. But three-pointers by junior Erin Harrington and freshman Erin Connolly helped Tufts build a 32-24 halftime lead.
"It felt really good to be in such a close game," junior Emily Goodman said. "We have been playing better in general lately, so we weren't intimidated, and that was pretty obvious. We didn't roll over and die for them."
The Jumbos certainly didn't rest on their laurels, as Goodman came out of halftime with intensity, scoring the first seven points for Tufts, which upped the lead to 14 points. Goodman finished with a team-high 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
"I missed a wide open lay-up and some foul shots in the first half, and I got really pissed off at myself," Goodman said. "That motivates me to play better."
"At halftime, [coach Janice Savitz] told us to keep playing hard to keep looking for the post underneath, and to keep shooting when we are open," Kehrberger said. "Everybody was so intense on defense, getting in the passing lanes. Everybody really stepped it up."
Unfortunately the good fortune ran out, especially in the final ten minutes. Senior Jessie Mayol scored eight consecutive points down the stretch, highlighting a 12-0 Bowdoin run. Tufts did manage to get to the line often, and aside from the four three-pointers in the first half, nearly all of the points were scored in the paint.
"I think we used our outside shooters very well," Dunn said, "but we need to drive to the basket more and to make sure we take advantage of size advantages when we have them."
Tufts scored 14 points from the line, as opposed to only seven by Bowdoin, but it seemed the Polar Bears nailed the ones when it really mattered. Nevertheless, it was one of Bowdoins' worst shooting performances of the year.
"I'd like to think they missed shots because they were nervous, and extremely surprised that we were winning," Goodman said. "Our defense has gotten so much better since the beginning of the year. This is the time when we want it to be good and intense. We always play better offensively when our defense is playing like that."
The loss was heartbreaking, especially for Kehrberger and senior co-captain Jayme Busnengo, who played their last game in Cousens. The team has four games remaining, and with a 1-4 conference record, any chance of home field advantage in the playoffs is minimal.
Despite this fact, making the playoffs is still a tenable goal. Tied with Wesleyan for seventh in the conference, solid play over the next two weeks could earn the team one of the conference's seven playoff spots. Tufts' schedule is favorable, as its last weekend includes Wesleyan (12-7, 1-4) and a weak Connecticut College team (1-15, 0-5).
On Friday night, the team lost another close conference game to Colby (9-12, 3-3) 64-61, in which the Jumbos almost erased a 12-point second half deficit. The 16-5 run in the last five minutes was capped off by a Busnengo lay-up which brought Tufts to within one. But Colby's Sarah Walsh hit two free throws, giving the White Mules a three point advantage, and Tufts could not convert on its final opportunity.
"It was hard because we lost to them twice last year so we really wanted revenge," sophomore Erin Buckley said. "We played a good game, though."
Harrington was the leading scorer with 17 points, and Goodman added 16 points and eight rebounds. On the weekend, Dunn dished out 13 assists, giving her 101 on the season. With four games remaining, she is within striking distance of the single season Tufts' record of 121 assists, by Lisa Raffin in the 1981 season.
Over the next two weeks, the team will. hit the road, fighting for a playoff spot. This weekend, it will travel to Middlebury (15-4, 4-2) and Williams (15-5, 5-1). The competition is daunting, but the Jumbos hope to carry momentum from sticking it out with one of the nation's top teams.
"I think the Bowdoin game gave us some confidence, because I don't think anyone even expected the game to be close," Buckley said. "We do have more confidence going into these last four games."
