Playoff seed on the line for women's basketball squad

The time has arrived for the women's basketball team to discover its postseason destiny.

With two league games on the road against the Middlebury Panthers tonight and the Williams Ephs tomorrow, Tufts (15-5, 5-2) has its playoff fate mostly in its own hands. Two wins and a Bates loss to Williams will clinch the second seed in the NESCAC championship tournament for the Jumbos.

Coming off of a 76-66 win over Wheaton at home on Tuesday, Tufts looks to keep its two-game winning streak intact with a victory against sixth place Middlebury. The Panthers are 11-9 on the season with a 3-4 NESCAC record and sport a 6-4 mark on their home court.

Tufts triumphed over the Panthers last year in Cousens Gym, 69-58. This year, Middlebury could have some momentum from its big 80-58 win over last place Connecticut College last weekend and from the fact that it could conceivably clinch a first round playoff home game with league victories this weekend.

The Panthers have talented rebounders in junior Alexis Hollinger (9.1 rebounds per game) and senior Alexis Batten (8.1 rpg). Their main scoring threat comes in the form of sophomore Kate Fehsenfeld who has averaged 14.8 points each time she takes the court.

"We need to play a lot of pressure defense on their players," sophomore guard Jessica Powers said. "We've worked on that all season."

In addition, the Jumbos have also focused on breaking a zone defense, which gave them trouble in their loss to Bowdoin.

"We worked a lot on the zone offense, and our own playing of the zone," Powers said.

Should the Jumbos triumph over Middlebury tonight and should Williams beats Bates in Williamstown, Tufts would be in position to seize the second tournament seed on Saturday against the Ephs.

Williams (18-4, 5-2 NESCAC) will do all it can to spoil Tufts' Saturday plans. After falling to Wesleyan 68-53 last Saturday, the Ephs will be on a quest for league redemption against the Jumbos, who beat Wesleyan 47-46. Freshman Margaret Miller has been a force for Williams this season, averaging 15.6 points per game and forcing 49 turnovers on the year.

Sophomore Colleen Hession will also pose a threat to the Jumbos with her 43 season steals and 13.8 points per contest average. Hession is a formidable threat from three point range as well. On Feb. 6 against Conn. College, she broke Williams' all time record for converted three pointers in a season with 55.

Last year, Tufts fell to the Ephs, 69-61 at home. Tufts could be looking to avenge that loss.

"There's always 'they beat us last year so we want to beat them,'" Powers said. "They came here and beat us last year, but we're not focusing on revenge. We really need the game.

Despite the stiff competition and the fact that its record is better at home, Tufts feels confident in its ability to win on the road.

"I don't think we think about it much [that we play better at home]," Powers said. "We're very confident going in. We're not scared because we're away; it doesn't really matter where we are. Just stay focused."

Senior tri-captain Maritsa Christoudias scored 13 points with nine rebounds and five steals against Wheaton on Tuesday, while Powers racked up 23 points in a Tufts' win against Colby last Saturday. Those two, along with starting sophomore point guard Julia Verplank and junior Allison Love, will have to put up those kind of numbers this weekend, especially against Williams.