It's last call for the women's basketball team. While sports journalism is often guilty of overkill when it comes to dramatic clich?©s - make-or-break, do-or-die, now-or-never - any one of them accurately describes the stakes the women's team faces as it heads into its final weekend of the 2004-2005 regular season. With conference rivals Trinity and Amherst in the crosshairs, the Jumbos gear up for their last chance to garner a bid in the NESCAC tournament and turn around a troubled second-semester season.
The chance for senior co-captains Erin Connolly and Alison Love to extend their final season on the Hill with a playoff run rests entirely on the team's performance this weekend, as the Jumbos take to the road against conference rivals Trinity and Amherst in a last-chance push to the season's finish.
And, as is always the case with NESCAC matchups, it's anybody's game. Wins for the Jumbos this weekend will rely on their ability to force turnovers on defense, find the open man and take care of the ball on offense, and take advantage of the momentum that has worked both for and against them this season.
While the top three spots in the NESCAC rankings seem relatively certain to be some combination of Bowdoin, Bates, and Williams, the middle of the field is wide open as this weekend will see a flurry of action around the conference.
Sophomore Valerie Krah spoke of the level of competition in NESCAC, which is considered by many to be one of the top Div. III athletic conferences.
"The caliber of NESCAC teams is second to none," she said. "Every weekend, we get a chance to battle it out and play hard against great teams and great athletes, and that's really exciting."
Trinity's 2-5 league record puts the Bantams just one spot above Tufts in league rankings at the No. 7 spot, while Amherst sits at No. 5 with a 4-3 record in conference play.
A key factor in the final NESCAC standings may be none of these three teams, but another league team, No. 2 Bates. After defeating Tufts at home on Saturday, the Bobcats can make it up to the Jumbos as they have the chance to hand both Trinity and Amherst a loss this weekend.
The final weekend of league play has too many variable matchups to call. But if the Jumbos play the kind of basketball they have shown glimpses of this season, and if the cards fall just right, Tufts could realistically gain two spots in the league rankings, and a sixth-place finish is more than enough to earn the team a trip to the league playoffs.
But the potential reshuffling in the rankings is meaningless without a win in Friday's game against Trinity. The Bantams have struggled against NESCAC teams this season, managing its two wins over bottom-ranked Connecticut College and Colby, and suffering blowout losses to the league's best. A promising sign for both of the Jumbos games this weekend was Tufts' tight 63-60 loss against Williams on Jan. 21 and competitive showing against Bowdoin. Both Trinity and Amherst lost to both these teams by wide margins.
By the numbers, both matchups look to be close and physical. No team has a considerable height advantage, and all three put up similar numbers in points scored, points allowed, and rebounding. Tufts holds a slight edge in assists, and if the Jumbos are able to consistently find the open player, as well as hit the open shots, this could make the difference.
Neither Amherst nor Trinity are offensive powerhouses, each averaging less than 65 points per game. If the Jumbos can apply their trademark pressure defense, and give Krah and junior Jessica Powers some chances to jump out into passing lanes, Tufts will be able to disrupt offensive executions and limit scoring opportunities.
"The game is definitely going to be won on the defensive end," Krah said. "Defense is one of our strengths and we need to come out strong on Friday."
Connolly highlighted the game plan for the Jumbos, both in mental and tactical preparation.
"Coach always tells us to worry about ourselves and not the other team," she said. "The team is extremely focused, we know we're capable of playing well, and this weekend is the perfect chance for us to show that."
