Though they hoped to earn at least one win during a two-game road trip to Williams and Middlebury, the women's basketball team returned home Saturday night empty handed. Now ninth place and 1-6 in the conference, the team will need to win its next two games and get a little help from Wesleyan and Amherst - currently tied for seventh - to nab one of the seven playoff spots.
On Friday the team traveled to Williamstown to take on the Purple Cows (17-6, 6-2), who were riding a four-game win streak. Williams opened up on fire, running up a 38-17 lead by halftime. In the second half, things did not get much better for the Jumbos, as Williams rolled to a 79-50 victory. Tufts' offense performed well in the game, as the team shot a respectable 41.4 percent from the field. Turnovers were the downfall of the Jumbos though, as Williams forced 30 turnovers on the evening. In fact, the team had more turnovers than points in the first half.
"Williams pressed a bit, but they didn't do anything we haven't seen before," sophomore Maritsa Christoudias said. "We just were not mentally in the game, and turnovers are a result of mental breakdowns."
Junior Emily Goodman led Tufts in scoring with 12 points, while sophomore Erin Buckley picked up ten points and seven rebounds off of the bench. Defensively, Williams sought to shut down Goodman and junior Erin Harrington, and the method worked well, as Harrington was only 2-10 from the field.
For Williams, juniors Melissa Skeffington, Kate Stumpo, and Abi Jackson all scored in double figures with 14, 14, and 18 points respectively. Skeffington put a show on from beyond the arc, leading the team with four threes. Harrington was the only Jumbo to nail a three, as Tufts struggled with a 1-7 mark from downtown.
After the disappointing loss, Tufts spent the night in Williamstown, and drove up to Middlebury the next day to face the 18-4, 6-2 Panthers. The Jumbos started out flat, and Middlebury capitalized, opening up an early 25-9 lead in the first ten minutes and cruised to a 64-50 victory.
"The trip definitely had a little bit of an affect," Christoudias said. "We traveled at least two hours before both games, so it's hard to keep an intense mindset after being on a bus."
Turnovers and lack of points from beyond the arc were again problems. Harrington recorded a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds, and Goodman led the team with 11 points. Buckley again provided a spark off the bench with seven points, five rebounds, and two blocks in only ten minutes of play.
Freshman Alexis Hollinger led the Panthers with 18 points, and junior Kristin Hanley also contributed 15 points. After the weekend, Middlebury and Williams are tied for second in the conference, trailing only Bowdoin (18-1 6-1).
The Jumbos have five more days of practice to prepare for another two-game road trip next weekend, which will conclude the regular season. At 1-6, the team must win both games against Wesleyan (14-8, 2-5) and Connecticut College (1-17, 0-7). If Tufts wins both games, it would force Wesleyan to beat Bates (15-5, 5-2) on Saturday. Amherst (11-10, 2-5), also vying for the seventh playoff spot, will have two tough games against Williams and Bowdoin to conclude its regular season.
"We can and we will win the last two games," Christoudias said. "The whole season has been filled with a sense of urgency because we are all so frustrated because we know how good we are, but the results just aren't coming."
