With a 73–56 loss to the top-seeded Polar Bears in the first round of the NESCAC tournament on Saturday, the Jumbos’ season came to an end.
The Polar Bears got off to a hot start, making two quick layups and recording a steal. Sophomore guard Claire Kolkhorst put the Jumbos on the board one minute in by drawing a foul and making both free throws. Bowdoin kept the pressure up with another cut to the basket, a fast-break layup and an and-one, pushing the score to 11–2 just over two minutes into the first quarter.
Tufts responded with a stop and a 6–0 run of their own. Kolkhorst hit a corner three, senior guard Annie Aspesi scored off a Kolkhorst out-of-bounds save and first-year guard Abby Congdon sank two free throws to bring the Jumbos within two points. With three minutes left in the quarter, junior guard Stella Galanes pulled up just past the free throw line, tying the game at 13–13.
The Polar Bears regained control, however, with a 3-pointer and a block. They went on a 10–2 run to end the quarter ahead 23–15.
Bowdoin carried its momentum into the second quarter, starting with a steal, made free throws and a putback to go up by 12. First-year guard Tessa Lozner scored first for the Jumbos with an and-one a minute and a half in. The Polar Bears then got hot from beyond the 3-point line, making three in a row and forcing a timeout. With six minutes left in the quarter, they were up by 18.
The Jumbos moved the ball well out of the timeout, giving it to Lozner for a tough layup. They pushed the pace on offense and put on defensive pressure. The Polar Bears were unable to make a field goal for the remainder of the quarter. After a 7–2 Jumbos run, the half ended 40–27.
Congdon got things started for Tufts in the second half. Sophomore forward Siobhan Stapleton threaded the needle to find Congdon, who laid it in. Tufts, however, struggled to defend Bowdoin’s quick ball movement and offensive rebounding. The Jumbos allowed another 3-point play and allowed second-chance offensive possessions.
Tufts stayed within striking distance by making quality cuts to the basket and drawing fouls. Bowdoin continued to make shots, though, and Tufts couldn’t cut down its deficit. The Polar Bears shot 50% from three and over 50% from the field in the third quarter, while the Jumbos connected on just one of six 3-point attempts. Tufts struggled from beyond the arc throughout the game, shooting 13.3% compared to its 32% season average.
“Bowdoin is an incredibly disciplined team, so you know they’re going to be executing at a high level for the whole game. I think especially their ability to shoot and move off the ball was challenging to defend,” Galanes wrote in a message to the Daily.
The Jumbos finished the quarter strong. Senior forward Sarah Crossett recorded a steal and passed ahead to Lozner, who laid it in. On the next possession, Congdon drew a foul driving to the basket and made both free throws. Tufts closed the quarter with an offensive rebound and another made free throw by Lozner, bringing the score to 61–44 with one quarter remaining.
A Bowdoin layup and a Lozner long 2-pointer opened the fourth quarter. Bowdoin continued to make extra passes and got one to fall from way beyond the arc to increase the lead to 21.
The Jumbos responded with excellent defense, forcing the Polar Bears into a late shot-clock attempt. Kolkhorst came down with the rebound and threw a baseball pass to Crossett for the layup. Kolkhorst then quickly stole the ball back to get a bucket of her own with four minutes left. Congdon later found Crossett, who was fouled and made both free throws to bring the Jumbos to 56 points.
Neither team was able to make another shot. Both teams scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, and the game ended 73–56.
“I think against Bowdoin we really were in the game fighting until the end, which was something we took pride in,” Galanes wrote. “Overall we did a good job competing on both ends of the floor, especially with our ability to turn defense into offense in transition.”
Galanes led the Jumbos with 14 points, followed closely by Lozner with 13. Stapleton led the team in rebounds with five.
The Jumbos ended the season 13–12 overall and 4–6 in conference play.
“I think this season we learned a lot about ourselves as a team and gained valuable experience that we can definitely use in the future to get some of the results that eluded us this year,” Galanes wrote.
