Box Score
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Lindsay Weiner was one of four Jumbo seniors playing in their final home game
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MEDFORD - The Tufts University women's basketball team tuned up for this weekend's NESCAC Championship quarterfinals with a 60-47 victory over Endicott College in the Jumbos' regular-season finale on Monday night at Cousens Gym.
Tufts, solid in the first half and sluggish in the second, was led by 16 points from senior guard Colleen Hart (Needham, MA). The Jumbos head into the post-season at 18-5. Endicott, down 20 at halftime, fought back in the second half before dropping to a 14-8 record overall. The Gulls got 11 points from senior Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, MA), all in the second half.
The Jumbos led 40-20 at halftime, with sophomore Collier Clegg (Evanston, IL) leading the way. The reigning NESCAC Player of the Week hit four more three-pointers in the first half and had 12 points at the break. Tufts shot 50 percent overall (17/34) and from beyond the arc (6/12). The Gulls, who turned the ball over 13 times in the first half, were led by five points at the break by first year Jennifer White (Lisbon, NH).
An 11-0 Tufts run during a three-minute stretch gave the Jumbos a 16-5 lead at the 13:32 mark. Two three-pointers by Clegg and another by Miller powered the surge. The Gulls got back within 16-8 on White's three at 11:56, but the hosts initiated a 14-2 stretch that put them up 30-10 at 5:48. Tufts got baskets from six different players during the run. Endicott had an 8-2 answer, including a traditional three-point play from first year Ashley Walenta (Planfield, CT), to make it a 32-18 game, but Tufts had the last surge to lead by 20 at the break.
Clegg opened the second half with another three-pointer, but Tufts would score just six points in the first 11+ minutes of the period. Vitale had nine points during a 14-6 Endicott advantage that pulled the Gulls within 46-34 at the 10:32 mark. They would continue their success and cut the margin all the way down to eight points (50-42) on a lay-up by first year Jordan Ferland (Charlestown, NH) at 6:13.
Two three-pointers by Hart and another three by Miller - two of four Jumbos playing in the final home game of their careers - got the hosts back on track. Miller's trifecta put the Jumbo lead at 15, 59-44. Both teams stumbled down the stretch, scoring just one point apiece in the final four minutes.
Clegg with 15 points and Miller with 12 joined Hart as Jumbos in double digits. Hart added five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Clegg had five three-pointers for the third game in a row. Junior guard Tiffany Kornegay (Carver, MA) had 10 rebounds with four assists, while sophomore Bre Dufault (Hampden, MA) blocked three shots. The Jumbos attempted just five free throws, and made only one. They matched their season high with 11 three-pointers and turned the ball over just eight times, also matching their season-best.
White finished with nine points and seven rebounds for Endicott, which won the battle of the boards 42-37. Vitale added a team-high nine caroms. First year Samantha Crough (Cohasset, MA) finished with seven points and five rebounds. Endicott leading scorer Ashley Wright (Merrimack, NH), who came in average 18.6 points per game, did not play in the second half after logging 18 first-half minutes.
The Jumbos travel to Williams College on Saturday for a NESCAC Championship quarterfinal game at 4 pm. Endicott continues its regular season with a TCCC game at New England College on Wednesday at 5:30 pm.
Game Statistics
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