Women's basketball takes three over break

While many Tufts students were home recovering from the holidays, since January fourth the women's basketball team has been in Medford gearing up for the rest of its season. The Jumbos enjoyed three consecutive victories over break extending their season win streak to seven games.

Tufts routed the University of New England on Monday 90-65, beat Smith College last Saturday 60-57, and edged Wellesley 56-51 on January ninth. The team faces Johnson and Wales tonight and then begins NESCAC play at home on Thursday against Connecticut College.

Tufts combined relentless defense with accurate shooting in winning its seventh straight match. The victory over the University of New England extended the team's longest win streak since 1998. The Jumbos forced 37 turnovers with a tenacious half court defensive strategy.

"It all happens on the defensive end," coach Carla Berube said. "We have a lot of energy and it's great to see how we react."

Freshman Jessica Powers had 20 points in the game; many resulting from steals.

"Jessica has really stepped it up," Berube said, "She is one of the best players on defense, but has nice stuff on offense as well."

Sophomore Allison Love also played a large part in the Jumbos' triumph with 14 points and six rebounds.

The Nor'easters fell behind 44-26, surrendering 20 turnovers before the half-time intermission. Despite being dominated on both ends of the court, Junior Missy Stults scored a game-high 21 points and had 12 rebounds in her team's losing effort.

The Jumbos tallied their sixth straight win by beating the Smith College Pioneers 60-57 last Saturday. A strong first half which ended with a 12-2 run put the Jumbos ahead 30-23 at the half.

Smith, however, would not go down without a fight. The Pioneers rallied back with a 10-0 spurt to start the second half. Jumbo fouls were the main factor in Smith's successful run with six of the 10 Pioneer points coming from the free throw line.

With nine minutes remaining in the game, Smith tied the score at 43 and then pulled ahead when junior Dasen Woitkowski drained a three pointer.

Seeing their lead slip away, the Jumbos sparked a late-game rally. Powers countered with her own three pointer and a quick steal that led to a lay-up. Junior Maritsa Christoudias sealed the victory for the Jumbos, stealing the ball with just five seconds left.

"We didn't play our best game against Smith," Berube said. "But it was great to see how we focused and reacted."

Tufts came out with a bang in its first match after break with a come-from-behind victory at Wellesley. Trailing late in the second half, the Jumbos went on an 8-0 scoring streak resulting in their 56-51 triumph. Powers led the final drive with four points in the last six minutes of the game.

"Sometimes it takes teams a while to learn how to win in close games," Berube said. "We're good at that already. We had some key steals and buckets that came at the right times and we also persevered until the end."

Junior Kate Gluckman led the Jumbos in scoring with 14 points. Powers also contributed with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Wellesley sophomore Bridget Harris did her best to thwart the Jumbos with a game-high 16 points along with 6 rebounds and 3 steals. The Blue led 45-42 with less than seven minutes remaining in the game when Tufts began its dramatic comeback.

Thursday's victory avenged Tufts' 43-67 home loss against Wellesley in 2002. It was also the first time the Jumbos have defeated the Blue since the 1998 season.

Coming back early and putting the extra hours in the gym after break helped the Jumbos extend their winning streak and prepare for NESCAC play.

"We ran double sessions because of the long break. There were not as many distractions without classes and we could really focus on basketball," Berube said. "We're getting better each day and being back early helps team chemistry. NESCAC's will be tough, but we are right back in the swing of things."