What a difference a year makes.
Last season, the women's basketball team had 10 wins all season, and only three NESCAC victories. By Saturday night, the Jumbos found themselves sitting atop the conference standings, with a 3-0 divisional record, and an 11-5 overall clip. Only Bowdoin, the nation's No. 1 team, has kept pace with the Jumbos in the division.
On Saturday afternoon Tufts hosted Bates, a team they had not beaten since 2003. Apparently, coach Carla Berube's team was not fazed by its recent lack of success against its counterparts from Lewiston, Maine, as Tufts finally emerged victorious this time around, 72-64.
The Jumbos took a 33-28 lead heading into halftime, but both teams had trouble finding the net in the second half, with neither team scoring in the first three minutes. The Jumbos eventually took control, however, claiming an eight-point advantage with 12 minutes to play.
"At halftime, coach really talked about how in order to win this game we have to play good defense," junior Jenna Gomez said. "That's always true in games. If you play hard defense, your offense will come. In practice we have worked on our offensive sets, and at the end we pulled it together."
Bates wanted to push the ball up the floor, but the Jumbos' defense prevented the Bobcats from notching easy buckets on the break. Tufts' ability to force 21 turnovers kept them in the game, though they were dominated on the boards by a margin of 53-37.
"I think we believed it was our game and we weren't going to let them take it back," sophomore guard Kim Moynihan said, who knocked down two threes at the end of the first half to hand her team the advantage heading into halftime. "It was our house, and we weren't going to let them get the win."
But the Bobcats would not go away, and clawed their way back into the game, ultimately taking a 60-58 lead with 3:52 remaining - their first of the half - on a three from Bobcat senior captain Katie Franklin. Gomez tied the game on the next trip down the floor on a put-back off a missed three-point attempt. Gomez was vital down the stretch, scoring six points in the final two minutes to secure the lead and record a career-high 17 points.
After a timeout, senior guard Valerie Krah kept the momentum in her team's favor when she stole the ball and turned it around for a quick three from the top of the circle. Once ahead 63-60, Tufts never relinquished the lead again.
Tufts' third conference victory followed a comfortable 61-45 victory over Worcester State on Thursday.
The Lancers shot only 25 percent from the field and surrendered 10 turnovers, as the Jumbo defense held them to 20 points in the second half.
"We always just try to play with intensity," Moynihan said. "We have focused a lot this year on help defense and getting in the passing lanes."
Though Tufts did commit 25 turnovers in the game, the Jumbos' 38-24 advantage on the glass gave them the day.
Krah led the squad with 16 points, complimented by senior Tayrn Miller-Stevens' 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Lindsay DelleChiaie led Worcester State with 15 points and senior guard Rachel Odugbela added 12.
"Saturday, they got 18 offensive rebounds. Though we played hard we still have things to work on, and we need to really focus on boxing out and defensive rebounding," Gomez said.
The Jumbos now enter the thick of their NESCAC schedule. Tomorrow night the Jumbos take on Wheaton in a non-conference battle, before facing Connecticut College and Wesleyan for a NESCAC weekend at Cousens Gym.
