After a strong start, the women's basketball team has encountered some rocky terrain in recent weeks.
The Jumbos have dropped four straight, eight of their last ten, and need to gather the reins for their final seven games of the season. Tufts currently stands at 7-9 and 1-3 in the NESCAC.
With two games in Connecticut this weekend, against Wesleyan on Friday night and Connecticut College on Saturday afternoon, the Jumbos will be in a position to move into February with a pair of key wins.
"This road trip is very important," junior guard Valerie Krah said. "This is the first step in finishing the season strong. It's crucial that we go in focused and start anew. Right now, the morale is still high because we know what we can accomplish. We know we're going to end strong."
Throughout the current losing streak, coach Carla Berube's team has struggled on offense, surrendering the ball an average of 22 times in its last four games. This turnover rate marks a substantial increase from the 14.7 miscues they averaged in their first three wins of the season.
"We need to do a better job of taking care of ball," freshman point guard Kimberly Moynihan said. "Our defense is good, though, and we're generating turnovers, too. Our turnovers [on the offensive end] are a contributing factor, but they are certainly not the only reason we're losing."
The high turnover rate, combined with abysmal free-throw shooting, is certainly not a recipe for success. The Jumbos are shooting 61.8 percent from the line, a clip that has hurt them down the stretch in close games. Tufts has the lowest free throw percentage in the NESCAC and is only one of two teams, along with Middlebury's 62.5 percent, shooting below 65 percent.
"Free throws are huge for us," Krah said. "We can win games on them. We need to take our time and be more focused at the line. We would pull out some big wins if we hit them."
This weekend, Tufts will face two NESCAC opponents from opposite ends of the standings. The Wesleyan Cardinals, always a women's basketball powerhouse, lead the league with a 4-1 record in conference play, while the 0-4 Camels are tied with Colby in last place.
"Neither of these teams pose specific threats to us," sophomore Jenna Gomez said. "We played with Brandeis, ranked No. 2 in the country, and we should have won that game. We just can't go into the [Conn College] game thinking we're better. We need to play hard every game."
Despite their recent losses, the Jumbos continue to play strong defense and exhibit chemistry on the hardwood. If the team can garner more continuity on the offensive end, it may be able to make a late-season run.
"Because of our record, other teams will underestimate us, which will hopefully work to our advantage," Moynihan said. "In the NESCAC, teams are on a similar talent level. We just need to play our best basketball and shock people. I don't think people realize our potential and how good we really are. I don't know if we even realize how good we can be."
If the Jumbos are to tighten things up on offense, it will have to happen soon, as time is running out in the 2005-2006 season.
