Jumbos season an overall success

The women's basketball team said it is proud of its season's record, despite losing by over twenty points in the first round of the playoffs.

With the exception of its surprisingly early exit from the 2003-2004 NESCAC playoffs with a 73-52 loss to Williams, the squad put together one of its most impressive regular seasons of all time.

The team won nine out of its last ten contests to close out the regular season 18-5.

The Jumbos finished in a three-way logjam for second place in the conference at 7-2, ended up as the fourth seed in the playoffs, and hosted a NESCAC playoff game for the first time in school history.

Despite the loss to Williams in the NESCAC quarterfinals, the women said they leave the court extremely proud of the way they played all season.

"The season was a great success," coach Carla Berube said. "It's tough because I don't want it to be tainted by the last game. Overall, we did some great things."

Players echoed the sentiment. "We got better as the year progressed, and we had some great times together," sophomore guard Jess Powers said. "We had a great overall record and, just because we lost in the first round, doesn't mean we can sell ourselves short."

The squad's record this regular season was even more impressive because its schedule was one of the toughest in recent years. Despite this, the team was able to step up to the challenge and earn important conference and non-conference wins.

"You can only be the best if you play the best, and coming out 18-6 was way beyond my expectations," senior tri-captain Maritsa Christoudias said.

The season was filled with many high points, most notably the Jumbos' 25-point thrashing of Emmanuel College, who at the time was ranked 23rd in the nation, at Cousens Gym on Jan. 13.

"Nobody expected us to beat them, and they were the first great team we played well against," Christoudias said.

"The Emmanuel game was the first game where we really played up to our potential," Powers added. "We made a huge statement in that game."

Other high points on the season for Tufts were the victories against the Wesleyan Cardinals, Williams Ephs, and Middlebury Panthers, all on the road. The Jumbos triumphed over Wesleyan, then ranked 18th nationally, on a scoop shot at the buzzer by junior forward Allison Love.

Tufts traveled to Williams and Middlebury in the last weekend of the regular season to face the Ephs and Panthers in tough arenas.

The squad was fighting for the number two seed in the conference, and a 2-0 weekend was essential for their final place in the league.

The Jumbos held the Ephs to a season-low 37 points, coming away with a 59-37 win. They then traveled to Vermont the next morning and crushed Middlebury, 77-62.

"Beating Wesleyan, Williams, and Middlebury all on the road in tough places to play was a great feat," Berube said. She did not think that Tufts has beaten Williams on the road since the mid-1980s, and she could think of no time that Tufts has won a game at Middlebury.

The squad struggled in games at the beginning of the campaign, but it steadily improved and peaked during NESCAC competitions late in the year.

"Every team has struggles, and we struggled with consistency at times, playing to opponent's levels," Berube said. "As the season progressed, we started to take care of ball better and have better composure. We got better overall and were able to win some close games that we may not have won last year."

With some players' careers ending, the squad was dealing with splitting up after the abrupt end to the season.

"These players and coaches have been the most important people in my life for the past six months," Christoudias said, "And while my career's over, I don't need a court to keep all the memories I've had with everyone."

The seniors will be missed next year, with each of them bringing something very different to the table. Powers cited Christoudias and Erin Buckley's leadership, as well as Kate Gluckman's work ethic as things that the team will lack next season.

Powers and junior Allison Love led this year's squad with 12.8 points a piece, with Love downing the most rebounds for the team with 7.1 boards a night. Powers paced the team with 3.9 assists per game, and classmate Julia Verplank led the defensive charge with just under three steals per game.

The team also saw strong play from this year's freshman class, led by guards Jenny Muller and Taryn Miller-Stevens.

Muller was one of the top pure shooters on the team, while Miller-Stevens held down the role of backup point guard to Verplank.

Muller pitched in six points, two rebounds and an assist in 15 minutes a game. Miller Stevens averaged 15.5 minutes per contest, contributing 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals.

The squad will return most of its key players next season, including Powers and Verplank, Muller, Miller-Stevens, and juniors Love and Erin Connolly.

The team will go into the off season with hopes of hosting another playoff game and advancing even further into the tournament in 2005.