Offense may have filled the seats at Cousens Gym on Saturday, but defense certainly won the game.
With its 62-41 blowout win over Amherst, the women's basketball team salvaged its season and hustled its way to a seventh seed in the NESCAC tournament.
And while the offense came together in a way it hasn't for much of the season - the Jumbos shot 44.8 percent from the floor in the first half and followed up missed shots with 12 second-chance points - the team's defense deserves the jumbo share of the credit.
The Lord Jeffs scored just 11 points in the first half on 4-of-23 shooting, and managed just three points in the final 10:15 of the period. It was not for lack of scoring opportunities, as the Jumbos coughed up seven turnovers during the stretch, but rather courtesy of a jacked-up Tufts defense that forced quick shots, produced nine turnovers, and pulled down eight defensive rebounds.
While the Jumbo defense was hit hard by Trinity junior Sarah Cox on Friday, it faced a more evenly spread offense against Amherst, as none of the Lord Jeffs averages double figures in scoring this season.
"We played more of a team defensive game on Saturday," junior guard Valerie Krah said. "We were more focused on communication, and that really turned into some good defensive stops."
The Jumbos forced 27 turnovers from the Amherst squad, which they converted into 25 points. "It's really important for us to capitalize off other teams' turnovers," Krah said. "If we don't, those are big missed opportunities. That's really how our offense picks up."
The Jumbos took their time on the other end of the floor. The rushed, off-balance shots that plagued the Tufts offense in its 61-56 loss to Trinity on Friday night were replaced by midrange jumpers and post shots the Jumbos' three post players.
A slight second-half defensive lapse, however, allowed the Lord Jeffs to crawl back towards a respectable score. While the game was never in jeopardy, the slip is troubling in light of the Jumbos' playoff matchup.
Tufts' first-round NESCAC opponent, Bowdoin, is ranked No. 6 nationally, averaging 74.3 points per game and allowing only 49.5, both league bests. The Jumbos will need to hold their own on the defensive end to compensate for a likely diminished offense.
