Box Score BIDDEFORD, Maine – Seniors Josie Lee and Michela North combined for 26 points, as the No. 1 Tufts University women's basketball team went over the 20-point plateau in two quarters during a 76-50 win over the University of New England on Saturday afternoon in Biddeford, Maine.
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| Josie Lee posted an efficient 13 points on eight shots from the field. |
The Jumbos (8-0) continued their unblemished 2016-17 campaign, as Lee dropped 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe. The Augusta, Maine, native also chipped in with a pair of steals.
North collected her second double-double of the season, by posting 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. The Duxbury, Massachusetts, native was a force on the boards, as she corralled a game-high 12 rebounds, along with five assists and three steals.
Senior center Alicia Brown led the way for the Nor'easters (6-3, 3-0 Commonwealth Coast Conference), as she recorded a game-high 16 points and a team-high six rebounds. Sophomore guard Kristie McNall contributed with a 14-point effort for the hosts.
Freshman guard Ashley Coneys opened the scoring with a jumper 1:16 into the game, and then the Jumbos went on an 11-0 spurt. During the spurt, Lee found the bottom of the net a pair of times from beyond the arc, sophomore guard Jacqueline Knapp (nine points, four rebounds) drilled a 3-pointer and junior forward Melissa Baptista (11 points, five rebounds) converted on a jump shot, as the Jumbos earned an 11-2 advantage with 5:16 left in the first.
The hosts did not shrink and responded with a crucial 9-3 run, as a free throw by Brown with 37 seconds remaining in the opening frame trimmed the Jumbos' lead to 14-11. About midway through the second quarter, freshman guard Sadie Otley and junior captain and point guard Lauren Dillon (six points, game-high six assists) connected on back-to-back 3-point shots, and then North nailed a jump shot with 4:35 left in the half, giving the Jumbos a 13-point cushion, 29-16. The Nor'easters held an 8-7 advantage down the stretch of the quarter, as the Jumbos led 36-24 heading into the locker room.
The Jumbos put the game out of reach in the third quarter, with North, Baptista and Knapp combining for 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line. The Jumbos held a commanding 23-9 advantage in the frame, as the squad took a 59-33 lead into the final frame.
McNall continued to compete in the final frame for the Nor'easters, as she tallied all of her 14 points in the final 10 minutes. The Jumbos were led in the fourth by sophomore forward Katie Martensen, who tallied four points and four rebounds.
The Jumbos will welcome Emerson to Cousens Gym for a 7 p.m. matchup on Tuesday in Medford, Massachusetts.
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