The women's basketball team cruised to its fifth straight win and 16th in 17 games, crushing Emmanuel College 73-35 Tuesday night in Cousens Gym. The Jumbos established an early lead and never took their foot off the gas, holding the Saints to their lowest point total on record.
After Tufts jumped out to an early 12-4 lead, a three-pointer from sophomore guard Liz Moynihan sparked an 18-0 explosion that expanded the margin to 30-4. The Saints managed a 9-4 spurt before halftime, and at intermission the Jumbos led 34-13.
But Emmanuel never came within 20 points, and Tufts continued to pour it on after the break. The Jumbos outscored the Saints 18-6 in the final nine minutes, sealing their seventh 30-plus point victory of the season.
Junior co-captain forward BreDufault led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Freshman guard Kelsey Morehead also had a solid performance, finishing with 13 points and three assists. Meanwhile, senior guard Tiffany Kornegay did a bit of everything, contributing four points, five assists, five steals and seven rebounds.
"I really like where we are right now, but hopefully we haven't even hit our peak," tenth-year coach Carla Berube said. "I think we are still getting better and playing with a chip on our shoulder."
Against Emmanuel, the Jumbos went 11-for-19 on three-pointers, outscored the Saints 32-18 in the paint and dominated the boards 50-35. All 11 Jumbos who played scored, and four players had eight or more points. The squad knows that when everyone plays at a high level, it is hard for other teams to keep up.
"The fact that everyone on our team scored last night shows the depth of talent on our team," said freshman forward Hayley Kanner, who wrapped up eight rebounds and blocked three shots on Tuesday. "When one person is having an off night, there are other people to step in and fill the gaps."
The team also put together yet another dominant defensive performance. Tuesday's contest marked the third straight game in which the Jumbos held their opponent to 35 points or fewer, as they finished with seven blocks and 14 steals and forced the Saints to shoot a dismal 26.9 percent.
"Regardless of what the score is during a game, we always try to come out with stifling defense and a ton of energy," Kanner said. "When we are playing good defense, every other aspect of the game becomes easier."
The Jumbos have carried the same defensive mentality with them all season long. Over the last three games — two of which came against NESCAC opponents Wesleyan and Conn. College — Tufts has allowed an average of 29.3 points per game.
On the season, opponents are averaging 44.1 points per game, and through Jan. 22 Tufts had the third-best scoring defense in all of Div. III.
"When we talk about Tufts women's basketball, we talk about defense," Berube said. "We talk about making it hard for other teams to pass the ball, to shoot the ball, and to execute offensively. Then we crash the boards, which leads to easier offense for us."
The Jumbos, who are now 16-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play, return to action on Saturday, when they will host NESCAC rival Bates. The Bobcats come into the matchup at just 8-10 overall — 2-4 against league foes — but the Jumbos will need to stay sharp as a Feb. 4 meeting with top-ranked, undefeated Amherst looms.
