Coming into Sunday’s game with the memory of their recent nail-biting 74–77 overtime loss to Endicott College, Tufts women’s basketball held a record of 3–3, while Rhode Island College entered with a 5–1 standing.
“We’re expecting it to be a competitive game, RIC is a good program with some athletic girls,” first-year guard Abby Congdon wrote in a message to the Daily prior to the game. “We just need to focus on what we do best and play our game!”
At the start of the first quarter, RIC’s Anchorwomen won the tip and made multiple attempts at the hoop but were held off by the Jumbos’ strong defense. After an Anchorwomen rebound was snatched by the Jumbos, sophomore guard Claire Kolkhorst drilled a 3-pointer to score the first basket of the game. Following a foul by RIC, Tufts sank both free throws to take a 5–0 lead. The Anchorwomen quickly responded with their own bucket.
Tufts continued making bold shots from the 3-point line, throwing high-flying passes into the paint. Kolkhorst secured another basket with a swift backdoor cut, bringing the score to 7–4. RIC answered with a 3-pointer of its own to tie the game at 7–7.
With just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter, RIC secured a basket, taking the lead. The points, however, were quickly followed up with some penalty free throws for Tufts, who drilled both and set the score at 9–9. The Anchorwomen’s offense remained strong, and even a valiant effort by the Jumbos couldn’t a 3-pointer. Both teams exchanged shots, with Tufts making two and bringing the score to 11–12. By the end of the quarter, RIC held a narrow 14–13 advantage.
In the second quarter, the Anchorwomen’s formidable defense continued to run down the Jumbos’ shot clock, but frequent fouls grantedTufts opportunities at the line, allowing the Jumbos to edge ahead 15–14. RIC reclaimed the lead with a layup and soon extended it to 20–15 following a two-minute scoring run. The Jumbos were able to add two points to their score but quickly after the Anchormen made three free throws in a row to add to their lead. Senior guard Annie Aspesi cut the deficit to 23–19 with a layup. The quarter continued with both teams going back-and-forth making shots, until the Jumbos went on a dominant streak scoring three baskets with no response from the Anchormen, the final one being a 3-pointer by Congdon which tied up the game at 28–28. The teams headed into halftime deadlocked.
In the third quarter, RIC set up a wrap-around screen to secure a basket right off the bat, bringing the score to 30–28, but the ball went skidding out of the hands of the players on the following drive, sending them falling on top of it to recover. First-year guard Tessa Lozner followed up with a juke-out to a RIC guard, quickly recovering the rebound on her attempted shot, evening the score once more at 30–30. Tufts stayed on top of quick handoffs and exchanges by RIC, not letting themselves get lost in the lightning-quick RIC passes. RIC responded in kind, blocking strong layups despite Tufts efforts to scoot past them. The score went 30–32, then 30–34, 32–34, 35–34 on a Jumbo 3-pointer, 35–36 and 35–38 in the Anchormen’s favor. A back court violation turned over the ball to RIC, but Lozner still drove up and intercepted the ball when she could. Blue shirts shuttled around the paint until they could put the ball away, 37–38. A soaring 3-pointer from downtown by junior guard Annie Ryan brought it 40–38, with RIC fighting in free throws to tie it up, and failing, leaving the score at 40–39.
The fourth quarter showed the toll the game was taking on the Anchorwomen, and their composure started to crack. An immediate Jumbo 3-pointer from the far corner was met with several shots that failed to connect with the rim, and only through free throws were the Anchorwomen able to narrow the gap, 43–41. The Jumbos continued to bowl over players and get shots on net. The Jumbos, especially Aspesi on the offensive, moved the game pace at lightning speed. Both teams also continued to rack up foul after foul against each other. Halfway through the final quarter, the Jumbos were up 47–41.
The Jumbos continued to run away with the game, making shot after shot with little response from the Anchorwomen. Refusing to go out without a fight, the Anchorwomen sunk a 3-pointer with only 19 seconds remaining to bring the score to 60–50, but the Jumbos quickly responded with free throws. Tufts sealed the win with a final score of 62–50.
Coming off a strong win, the Jumbos have the potential to keep their dominance going as they face MIT at home on Tuesday.
