After a stretch of games on the road, the women's basketball team returns to Cousens Gym this weekend for a NESCAC doubleheader, playing Conn. College on Friday night and Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon.
In the 2009-2010 season, the Jumbos were able to notch victories against both Conn. College and Wesleyan with a decisive win over the Camels and a come-from-behind effort against the Cardinals. As with every NESCAC opponent, both teams present perennial challenges.
"Last year the Wesleyan game was a really difficult game for us," said sophomore forward Bre Dufault. "We were losing to Wesleyan the whole first half of the game, but in the second half we were able to go on a run and pull off a win. Now we're 2-2 in the NESCAC, so this weekend's games are must-wins for us."
Over the past week the Jumbos have been struggling to regain their footing after losing senior tri-captain guard Colleen Hart to an ankle injury. Hart has been the anchor of the Tufts offense and an undeniable impetus on the court for much of her four years on the team. The Jumbos will again be without their star this weekend.
"Both games will be tough without Colleen," said Dufault. "She's a huge part of our offense, obviously in her scoring ability, but also in her presence on the court. It's a whole different dynamic having a different point guard out there."
The last two games, against Colby and Emmanuel, have been challenging for the Jumbos without Hart. Against Colby, for example, Tufts was down only 30-27 at the half, but then watched the Mules slowly pull away to a 67-54 win.
Tufts' midweek game at Emmanuel was yet another close call, but the Jumbos this time ultimately managed to come away with a 63-56 victory over their non-conference opponent.
"Emmanuel is a scrappy team," said Dufault, "So if we aren't fundamentally sound they can take advantage of that and go on a run. That's what happened on Tuesday."
Still, the Jumbos are resilient, and the younger players are stepping up to fill the scoring void. The team is now looking to this weekend as an opportunity to really hit its stride.
"It's been difficult finding that flow in our offense in the past few games," Dufault said. "But [junior guard] Tiffany [Kornegay] and [senior guard] Vanessa [Miller] are really stepping up and doing a great job."
Back-to-back NESCAC games mean even more of a challenge in terms of endurance, especially with one player out with an injury. Fortunately for the Jumbos, the depth of the Tufts bench has allowed for players to rest frequently, avoiding the burden of fatigue.
"Coach [Berube] does a great job subbing and getting us in and out if we're tired or need a break," Dufault said. "Double headers aren't too exhausting for us because she's been really on top of that, and we're a well-conditioned team."
Tufts is using the recent setbacks as motivation to get its conference record back on track. Though neither the Camels nor the Cardinals have been considered rivals for the Jumbos in recent years, the extreme parity in the NESCAC means that every conference game is a big game. And with two wins, the Jumbos can prove what the rest of the conference fears: that they can still win without Hart.
"We know we can do it," said Dufault, "But we need the same intensity as we have against Williams or Bowdoin. It's all mental."
