Box Score MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The No. 1 Tufts University women's basketball team held an opponent to under 40 points for the sixth time this season, as the Jumbos defeated host Middlebury College, 54-38, on Friday evening in Middlebury, Vermont.
The Jumbos (14-0, 3-0 in NESCAC) continued their undefeated season, by holding the Panthers (10-3, 2-1 in NESCAC) to 12 or less points in all four quarters, including single digits in two frames. The visitors were led by a pair of frontcourt players in senior captain Michela North (12 points, four rebounds, three blocks) and junior forward Melissa Baptista (11 points, five blocks, four rebounds). Baptista went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
The Panthers were led by a double-double performance from sophomore center Catherine Harrison (12 points, 13 rebounds), while junior guard Sarah Kaufman contributed with 10 points.
The Jumbos shot 38.9 percent (21-for-54) from the field, while the Panthers shot 28.0 percent (14-for-50) from the field. The Jumbos dropped seven 3-pointers on 43.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc, while the hosts went 3-for-10 on the three-ball. The hosts shot 7-for-8 from the free-throw line, while the visitors went 5-for-7 from the charity stripe.
The Panthers held a significant advantage on the boards, 42-28, while holding a 15-10 advantage in terms of second-chance points. The Jumbos' defense forced 23 turnovers and cashed in with 31 points off those takeaways, while junior guard Jennie Mucciarone (six points), freshman guard/forward Erica DeCandido (six points), freshman guard Sadie Otley (five points) and sophomore forward Katie Martensen (three points) combined for 20 bench points for the Jumbos.
The Panthers claimed a 6-4 lead with 3:47 left in the first quarter on a jumper by freshman guard/forward Lily Kuntz. The Jumbos responded with a 10-0 spurt, which included 3-pointers from Mucciarone, Otley and junior captain and point guard Lauren Dillon. Junior guard Sabrina Weeks buried a 3-point shot for the Panthers with 11 seconds remaining in the frame, trimming the Jumbos' advantage to 14-9.
Baptista made a layup 1:17 into the second for the Jumbos, and then Kaufman drilled a trey with 7:25 left, trimming the visitors' lead to 16-12. The Jumbos improved upon their first-quarter run, as the visitors' hit the hosts with an 11-0 spurt, giving the Jumbos a comfortable 15-point lead. A layup by DeCandido gave the Jumbos a 27-12 lead with 3:27 left in the half, as the squad took a 29-16 lead into halftime.
The hosts tried to stay within striking distance, as a jump shot by Kaufman cut the visitors' advantage to 31-18 57 seconds into the third. The Jumbos took complete control of the game with a 9-4 run, with DeCandido knocking down a jumper with 4:29 left in the third, giving the visitors a 40-22 cushion.
The Jumbos did not allow the visitors to get closer than 13 points the entire second half, as they were led by an eight-point, second-half performance from North and a six-point, third-quarter outburst from Baptista.
The Jumbos will continue their conference slate on Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. tilt against Hamilton in Clinton, New York.
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