With a first−round home matchup in the NESCAC Tournament already locked up for the women's basketball team, the No. 13 Jumbos were upset Saturday on the road by Bates, 71−55. After last week's loss to conference rival Amherst, Saturday's game marks the first back−to−back regular season defeats for the Jumbos since January 2007.
"We were disappointed with ourselves, and, you know, [I give] credit to [Bates]," junior tri−captain guard Colleen Hart said. "I think they came out really strong on their Senior Day — they were really fired up for the game. We had faced them before, and I think they definitely were a different team. I don't think we took them lightly; it just wasn't our night."
"It definitely wasn't the outcome we wanted," sophomore forward Kate Barnosky added. "They controlled the game and just wanted it more than we did."
Bates junior center Jessie Igoe went 10 for 11 from the free throw line and finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Hart led the Jumbos with a team−high 18 points.
Bates took an early 29−15 lead with 7:31 to go in the first half and never looked back, but the Jumbos picked up the pace with an 8−1 run over the following two minutes to cut the lead to under 10 points. Despite the strong effort from Tufts, the Bobcats quickly responded with an 8−0 run of their own and headed into the break with a comfortable 40−28 lead.
"I don't think we ever had control," Hart said. "They went on a big run at the beginning of the game ... and we had to take an early timeout. They came out running and ran on us the entire game. We were tired, and we had a difficult time defending them. We came out strong in the second half, but it's tough to recover from being down that much at halftime."
The Jumbos came out of the locker room strong as Hart quickly netted eight points to bring Tufts within four at 40−36. But Tufts could not keep up its renewed attack, as the Bobcats retaliated again with a 10−0 run. The Jumbos, though, never came close after that point, trailing by double digits for the remainder of the contest as Bates cruised to its first win over a ranked team since Jan. 13, 2006.
"They had momentum from the start of the game and ran with it," Barnosky said. "We fought hard, but we couldn't climb back into it."
Senior forward Julia Baily recorded her fourth consecutive double−double and her 11th of the season for the Jumbos with 15 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Meanwhile, Barnosky added nine points, five rebounds and five assists.
With the win, the Bobcats finished the season with a 4−5 NESCAC record, landing the sixth seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. The Jumbos, who finished 6−3, placed fourth in the standings and still earned the chance to play their first−round contest in Cousens Gym, in which they are 7−1 this season.
"We were obviously hoping to get a higher seed," Barnosky said. "But we have to take it one game at a time, and we're happy we have a home game."
The Jumbos will match up against fifth−seeded Bowdoin — which they defeated 52−40 in their last contest on Jan. 23, when the Polar Bears were ranked No. 13 in the country — this Saturday when the conference playoffs kick off.
"The NESCAC is very competitive this year — there don't seem to be any weak teams in the playoffs," Hart said. "There are no teams that I don't want to face. No matter who we face, we're not going to think it's an easy game. I think in a way it was a blessing that we lost to Bates, because otherwise we might've faced them again, and it's really hard to beat a team three times."
But before the Jumbos head into the NESCAC Tournament, they will play the final home game of the regular season tonight against Worcester State.
"We're just hoping to get better and gain some confidence so we can feel good about our game on Saturday," Hart said. "[Tonight's game] is definitely an opportunity to do that; we're excited and glad we have an opportunity to play again before the playoffs." David Heck contributed reporting to this article.
