When there's only one option on the table, there's not a lot of room for discussion. And so when the only thing on the Jumbos' menu on Friday night was a win over Trinity, that's exactly what they delivered.
In the game they had to win to keep their season alive, the Jumbos clearly exceeded expectations. They steamrolled the Bantams 76-53 in Hartford and, with Trinity's subsequent loss to Bates on Saturday, secured a bid to the NESCAC postseason tournament. Tufts did exactly what the matchup required, shooting fairly well from the floor, forcing turnovers, and converting on the offensive end.
The Jumbos once again looked to senior co-captain Alison Love, who followed her 20-point performance last Tuesday in Tufts' win over Salve Regina with a double-double on Friday, knocking down 20 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Friday's game was the second leg of an outstanding three-game offensive showing from Love, as she three-peated the 20-plus mark in Saturday's win over Amherst with 22 points. Love's 36 minutes was the highest on the team in Friday's game as coach Carla Berube was reluctant to put the key to the Jumbos' offense on the bench.
"Alison definitely just stepped up her game at the right time," Berube said. "She's getting the ball, taking good shots, and when she's open, she has the green light."
Love's co-captain senior Erin Connolly agreed.
"Alison was posting up strong, and the guards were getting her the ball," Connolly said. "She shot incredibly well, and if she didn't have it, she kicked it back out. She really played a solid inside-outside game."
Joining Love in double digits was sophomore Valerie Krah, whose 17 points on 7-11 shooting included 13 points during the Jumbos' second-half offensive that blew the game open and smothered any momentum from the Bantams.
Tufts jumped out to a 14-3 lead, spreading the scoring evenly among its starters early on and holding the Bantams to 6-27 shooting from the floor. Trinity briefly cut the deficit under 10, but two steals and eight quick points from the Jumbos set the halftime scoreboard at 37-23.
As the Jumbos have seen all season, though, basketball is a game of runs, and so when the Bantams came out of the locker room with a win on their minds and momentum on the court, Tufts was ready. A quick 9-2 Trinity spurt brought the game within single digits and within reach of the Bantams, but the Jumbos quickly countered with a dozen unanswered points, capped by a back-to-back jumper and three-pointer from Krah. At that point, the margin stood at 23.
The lead dipped briefly below 20 only once again, but another Krah three sparked 11 straight by the Jumbos with just under 10 minutes to play and sealed the game for Tufts.
Heading into the weekend, the Tufts-Trinity matchup looked to be close, as the teams were ranked No. 8 and No. 7 respectively in NESCAC and were statistically very evenly matched. In order to win, the Jumbos needed to exploit their slim advantages and limit those of the Bantam's.
They did just that by using a stifling defensive effort and a diverse offensive game. The Jumbos came in full defensive strength, applying a full-court press and forcing 22 turnovers, which they converted into 25 points on the other end. Nearly half of Tufts' points came from the paint, as Love's inside play was complemented by a Jumbo backcourt that was able to pass effectively, drive when necessary, and find the open man on offense.
"It was a great defensive effort," Berube said. "We make it hard for them to get good shots, and we limited them to one shot, and that really helped us out."
The on-court view was very similar.
"Our defense was definitely the key to our offense," Connolly said. "We were able to create steals, push up the ball, and get some easy layups, and that really sparked us."
With their subsequent 76-67 win over Amherst on Saturday, the Jumbos have jumped two slots in the league rankings and clinched a No. 7 berth for the postseason playoff tournament. This seed pits them against Bates, a team partially responsible for the Jumbos' recent climb in the standings as the Bobcats defeated both Amherst and Trinity this weekend. The Bobcats are currently ranked No. 2 in NESCAC, due to a mid-season loss to Bowdoin, but No. 1 nationally with 20-1 record.
Although Bates looms large, the Jumbos are confident that their recent turnaround is not a fluke, but represents the type of play they were capable of producing all season.
"We're playing our best basketball of the season right now," Connolly said. "And we're going to carry that through to next week."
