Box Score CLINTON, N.Y. – Freshman guard Sadie Otley scored a career-high 16 points in 22 minutes off the bench for the No. 1 Tufts University women's basketball team, as the Jumbos improved to 15-0 with a commanding 70-42 triumph over Hamilton on Saturday afternoon in Clinton, New York.
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| Jacqueline Knapp tied her career high with 12 points in 27 minutes. |
Otley was on fire, as she went 6-for-8 from the field, including going 4-for-5 on 3-point shots. Junior forward Melissa Baptista dropped 11 points in the first quarter, en route to scoring 16 of her season-high 18 points in the first half, leading all scorers in the game. The Somerville, Massachusetts, native shot 53.8 percent from the field (7-for-13) and 60 percent from beyond the arc (3-for-5).
Sophomore guard Jacqueline Knapp also starred for the Jumbos (15-0, 4-0 in NESCAC), as she equaled her career high of 12 points, going 3-for-5 from the field, 2-for-4 on the three-ball and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. The Westfield, New Jersey, native also dished out a game-high six assists, while battling on the boards, finishing with four rebounds.
The Continentals (7-7, 1-3 in NESCAC) were led by a 10-point, seven-rebound performance off the bench by freshman guard Carly O'Hern. The hosts also received a 12-point effort from junior forward Lauren Getman.
Baptista, who shot 4-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 from downtown in the first quarter, scored the Jumbos' first eight points of the game. The power forward buried a mid-range jumper from the top of the key, tallied an old-fashioned 3-point play, and then drilled a 3-pointer from the right side of the arc with seven minutes left in the first, giving the Jumbos an early 8-2 advantage.
Knapp capped the Jumbos' 24-point, first-quarter outburst by cashing in from beyond the 3-point line with two seconds remaining in the first, giving the visitors a 12-point lead heading into the second frame.
The two teams exchanged jumpers to open the second. Senior captain and guard Josie Lee then made an impressive move off the dribble with the shot clock winding down, ultimately hitting a turnaround jumper in the paint, which gave the Jumbos a 28-14 lead with 7:11 left in the half.
The Jumbos opened up an 18-point advantage, as Baptista drilled a trey from the right side of the arc with 5:55 left, and then Otley buried a three-ball from left side of the top of the key with 3:31 left, giving the Jumbos a 34-16 advantage. The Continentals scored the next six points, with four coming from O'Hern, as the Jumbos went into intermission holding a 35-22 lead.
The Continentals hung around early in the third, as a 3-pointer by Getman with 6:59 left trimmed the Jumbos' cushion to 39-28. The hosts' shaved the Jumbos' lead to 11 points on two more occasions in the third, including when freshman guard Marie Steiner connected on a jumper with 3:34 left. The Jumbos put the game out of reach with an 11-2 spurt to end the third, including five straight points from Otley, as a layup by junior guard Jennie Mucciarone gave the Jumbos a 54-34 advantage in the final seconds of the frame.
The Jumbos showed their good habits by playing to the final whistle, holding the Continentals to eight fourth-quarter points, while the visitors tallied 16 points in the final 10 minutes. The defensive effort was present again for the Jumbos, holding the Continentals to a shooting percentage of 30.9 from the field (17-for-55) and 13.3 percent from 3-point range (2-for-15). The Jumbos' shot 42.6 percent from the field (26-for-61), 41.7 percent from beyond the arc (10-for-24) and 72.7 percent from the foul line (8-for-11). The Jumbos won the rebounding battle, 41-32, and made the extra pass throughout the contest, finishing with 21 total assists.
The Continentals held a 20-12 advantage in points in the paint, while the Jumbos received 34 points off the bench and the Continentals were the recipients of 23 points from their reserves. The Jumbos have only allowed 50 or more points three times this season, while they have scored 70 or more points on seven occasions.
The Jumbos will continue their road trip on Tuesday, as they will square off against Babson in non-conference action at 7 p.m. in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
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