D.J. Hessler, Men's Lacrosse
Freshman D.J. Hessler made a splash in his collegiate debut on Saturday, scoring four goals and dishing two assists to lead the men's lacrosse team to a 12-3 victory over Skidmore in their season opener.
Hessler received extra playing time due to injuries to fellow attackmen Clem McNally and Connor Ginsberg, but his performance will likely keep him solidly in the rotation. What was particularly impressive about Hessler's performance was that he contributed throughout the entire game. He scored one goal in each quarter, and had one assist in each half. Overall, Hessler fired six shots, all of which were on goal.
Hessler also showed striking vision and awareness for such a young player. He showcased his exceptional field presence on numerous inside passing and scoring plays. On his fourth goal, Hessler snuck behind the defense into a goal-scoring position, recognizing a loose ball on the ground after it had been stripped from one of the Skidmore defenseman. A Jumbo teammate emerged from the scrum of players with possession, and then caught the Skidmore D off guard by passing it to Hessler, who quickly finished.
The Jumbos hope Hessler stays hot in their match-up with Eastern Connecticut State University on Tuesday.
The Bench, Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team's bench is a major reason why the team is in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. The Jumbos' reserves averaged 18 points over two tourney games over the weekend, propelling Tufts' wins over Wheaton and Mount St. Mary.
Against the Lyons, most of the bench's production came courtesy of sophomore forward Julia Baily, who tallied 12 points in 20 minutes. The team's third-leading rebounder, Baily also pulled down five boards and added a steal. The performance continued Baily's breakout season, in which the Farmington, Conn. native has posted averages of 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
The following night against the Blue Knights, it was sophomore guard Vanessa Miller and junior guard Stacy Filocco who provided big sparks off the bench. Miller was active all over the floor, tying a game-high with nine points while contributing four rebounds and two assists. Filocco, meanwhile, made the most of her eight minutes, tallying six points. Her three-pointer at the 13:32 mark of the second half gave the Jumbos a 15-point cushion and broke the game wide open.
The Jumbos' bench has outscored their opponents' reserves in all but five games this season.
