The women's basketball team got 40 combined points from senior tri-captain Jessica Powers and junior guard Valerie Krah to hold off a pesky Babson team and secure a 68-58 win at home on Tuesday night.
Both offenses started slowly, trading turnovers and missed shots on both ends of the court. Neither team got on the scoreboard until nearly three minutes into the game, when Powers drove the right side of the lane to put the Jumbos up early.
Tufts has struggled in its first three games to consistently put together big offensive numbers. A good shooting team in past years, and with several offensive threats on both the perimeter and in the paint, Tufts can attribute much of this to early-season kinks.
"We're getting open shots, and they'll fall for us eventually," junior guard Marilyn Duffy-Cabana said. "We have a lot of people who can come out and hit shots, and we don't want to discourage that. We're working on utilizing our speed and athleticism, and getting the ball up the court, not getting forced into a halfcourt set. We work well in the open court."
Coach Carla Berube commented on the offensive play of her team, which shot just 32.1 percent from the floor on Tuesday and was unable to convert its quick tempo into fast-break points.
"We didn't do a very good job in our break pushing the ball like we could have," Berube said. "I think that's where we're at our best, making plays in the open court. Babson did a great job of transition defense and stopping our fast break."
Tufts' defense started aggressively, closing down the lanes and jumping out on shooters, and the Beavers were unable to score from the floor until nearly six minutes in, when a layup by Caitlin Bouyer gave them a 10-6 lead, their largest of the night.
Tufts responded, picking up the pace to open a 22-15 lead, their largest of the evening until the game's final minutes. The Beavers called a timeout and emerged from the huddle to score six straight and end the first half trailing by just a single point, 24-23.
Babson carried the momentum through to the second half, briefly grabbing a one-point lead and then forcing the sixth tie of the game before the Jumbos went back on top with a free throw from sophomore Jenna Gomez. Tufts never trailed again, but the edge remained in single digits until a free throw by Gomez in the final seconds gave the Jumbos the ten-point lead and the final 68-58 score.
The Jumbos' performance at the foul line would prove to be the deciding factor in the game. Shooting 77 percent from the line, Tufts got 27 of its 68 points from free throws in a game in which it was actually outscored 43-41 from the floor.
With 17 fouls committed by the Beavers, the opportunities were there and the Jumbos took advantage. Sinking 21 of 23 free throws in the final nine minutes, including 9-of-11 shooting from Powers, the Jumbos kept control of the game down the stretch to ward off a determined Babson squad.
"That was great," Berube said. "It needs to happen. Free throws can win and lose games and for us to step up and hit them down the stretch was very promising."
As the Beavers managed to find just enough offense to stay in the game, Tufts found some relief in the sharpshooting of Krah. After leaving the game less than a minute in with a leg injury, a heavily-taped Krah returned to score 18 second-half points, including ten points in the final three minutes.
The junior's quick shots gave the Jumbos some breathing room as the Beavers turned up the intensity and provided an alternative to the set offense that the team has had some trouble establishing early in the season.
"There are times that I think it's important to set up the offense, but we were having some trouble with that at times last night," Berube said. "[Krah] has the green light, especially if she's feeling it. If she's got a hot hand, let's go to her."
Once again, the Jumbos' defense was strong, nabbing 11 steals and frustrating Babson's shooters around the perimeter and in the paint. The Beavers poked some holes early on with a few backdoor and weak-side baskets, but a timeout called by Berube got the Jumbos back on track defensively.
"Defense is definitely a cornerstone of our team," Duffy-Cabana said. "We're not going to be successful unless we pull through with our defense. Even when the shots aren't falling, defense is something you can control. It's about how much you want the ball."
"We're going to continue to work on our offenses, but we really pride ourselves on our defense," Powers said. "Good defense will really help our offense."
The Jumbos will have to match their consistently strong defensive effort at the other end of the floor as the season progresses. Their offensive production thus far this season has been far below last year's 81.3 points per game average.
While those wins came against arguably weaker competition, the Jumbos will look to develop more of an offensive rhythm as they approach winter break and their ensuing NESCAC opener.
"We put in all new stuff in this year and we're still working on it," Powers said. "We don't always want to have to set up our offense; we want to be able to run past the other team and fast break, and that's coming along."
"[The offense] is definitely progressing," Berube said. "We're not throwing our offenses out the window, but we have some things to work on to be ready for Wheaton on Saturday."
