Box Score NEW LONDON, Conn. – Freshman Erica DeCandido posted a career-high 18 points and senior captain Michela North compiled a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 1 Tufts University women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon, as the Jumbos defeated Connecticut College, 72-48, in New London, Connecticut.
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| Josie Lee filled up the stat sheet with four points, six assists and five boards. |
The Jumbos' (18-0, 6-0 in NESCAC) defense held the Camels (11-6, 2-4 in NESCAC) to nine or less points in three out of four quarters, but the hosts compiled an impressive 26-point third quarter. The Jumbos have now held opponents to single digits in 27 quarters this season.
North set the tone early for the visitors, posting the most rebounds and blocks (four) of any player in the game, while going 7-for-14 from the field and 2-for-2 from the line. DeCandido led all scorers in the game, by posting an efficient 18 points, going 6-for-10 from the floor, 1-for-1 from 3-point range and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
The Jumbos also received strong performances from junior captain and guard Lauren Dillon and sophomore guard Jacqueline Knapp, as the two combined for 17 points and eight steals.
The Camels were led by a strong performance from senior guard Liz Malman, who scored a team-high 15 points on 4-for-10 shooting from the field and an impressive 7-for-8 effort from the charity stripe. The Mendham, New Jersey, native also led the team with three steals, while junior forward Mairead Hynes also reached double figures for the hosts, scoring 10 points and grabbing four boards.
The Jumbos' game plan was clear early on, as they tried to establish North in the paint. North scored the first eight points of the game for the Jumbos with six coming in the paint and two coming from the foul line.
The Jumbos were holding a 10-5 lead and then finished the first quarter on an 11-2 run. The spurt started on a basket with 5:24 left in the first by senior captain and guard Josie Lee (four points, six assists, five rebounds), as the Augusta, Maine, native made a great cut through the lane and Dillon found her with a textbook pass.
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| Jacqueline Knapp tallied eight points and four steals. |
Dillon then tallied a layup on a strong drive to the hoop, junior forward Melissa Baptista posted a layup off an intelligent extra pass by Lee, senior forward Katy Hicks buried a 3-pointer from the right baseline and Lee scored with 10 seconds left in the quarter, giving the visitors a 21-7 lead heading into the second frame.
The story of the second quarter for the Jumbos from an offensive perspective was DeCandido, as she dropped nine points and three rebounds, going 4-for-5 from the field and 1-for-1 from the charity stripe.
The Jumbos were leading 27-12 with under four minutes left in the half, and DeCandido scored nine consecutive points for the Jumbos, as she posted an old-fashioned 3-point play, made a layup off a transition pass by Baptista, drilled a long jumper from the right side and made another layup, giving the Jumbos a 36-16 lead with 1:08 left in the half. Junior guard Jennie Mucciarone then added a layup in the final minute of the half, as the Jumbos extended their lead to 38-16 heading into intermission.
The Camels came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter from an offensive standpoint, as Malman scored all 15 of her points in the frame and freshman guard Samantha Ashton tallied all seven of her points in the quarter. The Jumbos were able to score 22 points of their own, but the visitors were able to trim the Jumbos' lead to 15 on two occasions late in the third quarter.
The Jumbos will finish their road trip on Tuesday (7 p.m.), as the team will compete in non-conference action against Emmanuel in Boston.
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