Jumbos drop first at home to number one Bowdoin

On a Saturday that saw three seniors honored, it was a sophomore who stole the show.

Jessica Powers had 23 points, six assists, five rebounds, and four steals as the women's basketball team overwhelmed Colby, 65-46 on Tufts' Seniors' Day.

The conference victory came one day after Tufts lost its first home game of the season to #1 Bowdoin, 58-45.

Against Colby, inconsistent play from the Jumbos in the first half allowed the White Mules to keep things close. Tufts was up 25-23 with 4:25 to go in the first, when a late run stretched the lead to eight at the intermission.

Powers led the team with 13 points at the break, despite having to play stretches out of position at point guard. The Jumbos were without their normal backup point guard Taryn Miller-Stevens, who missed the game for personal reasons.

The Jumbos increased the defensive pressure in the second half, and held Colby to just six field goals in the final 20 minutes.

"We really turned it up in the second half," coach Carla Berube said. "We moved our feet and the help was there. The second half of this game, and the first half of the Bowdoin game, that's where our defensive effort needs to be all the time."

Following a timeout at 14:40, Tufts went on a run that stretched the lead to 16 at 48-32. Colby never got back in the game, as the lead remained in double digits.

"Last night's game was draining," senior Maritsa Christoudias added. "This was an important win for us. It was important for us to bounce back. We know that every single NESCAC game is the most important game of the year."

According to Berube, the team was able to overcome emotions left over from Friday's loss to Bowdoin.

"This was a great bounce back win for us, especially because it was a total team effort," Berube said. "We had a couple of players who left a lot of emotion on the court [against Bowdoin], so it was great to respond with this kind of effort today."

On Friday night, Tufts hung with the top ranked team in the country before fading in the second half.

Tufts was bothered by Bowdoin's pressure early on in the first half, and the Jumbos appeared to play timidly on offense. But Tufts stayed within striking distance by playing tough on the defensive end.

For most of the first half, the Jumbos had trouble setting up their offense. With their sets not working, the Tufts players resorted to going one on one on nearly every possession. Late in the half, the team seemed to settle down, and at halftime Bowdoin led by just four points at 29-25.

In the second half, Bowdoin went to a 1-2-2 zone that frustrated the Jumbos offensively. The zone stopped the penetration of Powers and fellow sophomore, point guard Julia Verplank, and held the Jumbos to just 20 percent shooting in the second half.

Senior Lora Trenkle led Bowdoin with 13 points and five assists. Freshman Jenny Muller led Tufts with ten points.

"We played a great game [against Bowdoin]," Christoudias said after the Colby game. "They had to play their best to beat us. Everyone knows we could've beaten them. We just need our shots to fall. I'd love to play them again."

Before Saturday's game against Colby, Tufts recognized the team's three seniors, tri-captains Erin Buckley, Kate Gluckman, and Christoudias.