Box Score BRUNSWICK, Maine – In a battle between the top two ranked teams in the country, the #1 Tufts University women's basketball team defeated #2 Bowdoin College 97-88 on the road in NESCAC action Friday evening.
|
| Senior Cailin Harrington scored a career-high 20 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. |
The Jumbos remained undefeated, improving to 19-0 and 5-0 in NESCAC. It's their second huge conference win on the road in two weeks, including a 48-46 victory in overtime at Amherst on January 18. Tufts, led tonight by career-highs from junior Emily Briggs (23 points) and senior Cailin Harrington, (20 points), are now in sole possession of first place in NESCAC.
Bowdoin drops to 19-1 and 5-1 in the league. The Polar Bears were led by a game-high 29 points from senior co-captain Maddie Hasson.
According to D3hoops.com, tonight's game was just the 11th time since the D3hoops poll started in 1999 that #1 played #2 in women's basketball. Tufts played Amherst the last time it happened in 2017. Bowdoin had been in this game three times before.
Tufts is the only team to win at Bowdoin's Morrell Gymnasium over the last three seasons. Including tonight's win and the Jumbos' 75-69 conference championship victory at Bowdoin last season, Tufts has handed the Polar Bears their only two home losses in 42 games there since the start of the 2017-18 season. The Jumbos did so tonight in front of a packed house of 1,400 spectators.
The contest played out like a video game, with Tufts' 97 points matching the program record for a NESCAC game. The previous occurrence was in 1987-88 against Wesleyan. Tonight's output tied for the sixth-most points scored in a game in Tufts team history.
The Jumbos made an extraordinary 59 percent of their shots (36/61) this evening, including half of their three-pointers (12 for 24). They were perfect at the free throw line (13/13). Tufts had 20 assists (seven by senior co-captain Erica DeCandido) and turned it over just eight times. Bowdoin was nearly as good, hitting on 33 of 56 shots (58.9 percent) and 9 of 20 three-pointers (45 percent). They were 13 for 21 at the line (61.9 percent) and had 13 turnovers. The hosts took the battle of the boards 29-26, led by nine from junior Dorian Cohen.
Briggs scored 18 of her 23 points in the first half as the Jumbos led 51-47 through 20 minutes of play. Tufts was up nine (64-55) after a three by sophomore Molly Ryan at 6:27 of the third. However, led by Hassan (12 third-quarter points) the Polar Bears clawed back with a 15-5 run to take a 70-69 advantage on a Cohen lay-up at 2:26 of the period. Bowdoin wouldn't score again in the quarter though, and a pair of free throws by junior Angela Alibrandi and a jumper by Harrington gave Tufts a 73-70 edge heading into the fourth.
Bowdoin's dry spell lingered for three more minutes into the final quarter helping the Jumbos to take a 77-70 advantage on hoops by Harrington and DeCandido. The Polar Bears had another run in them though, and closed to within 82-80 on a Hasson lay-up with 3:50 left in regulation. The Jumbos answered with a Briggs lay-up, a rebound on a Bowdoin miss by Ryan and then a huge three by Briggs for an 87-80 lead with 2:51 on the fourth-quarter clock.
Bowdoin would get as close at 87-82 with 1:48 left, but Harrington made a pair of lay-ups putting the Jumbo advantage at 91-82 with 1:21 to go. The Jumbos iced the win at the line where Ryan, DeCandido and senior Sadie Otley all hit two in the final minute.
Ryan's 19 points matched her career high, while DeCandido also scored 19 and led Tufts with seven assists. Briggs finished 10 for 14 shooting and had three steals. Harrington added six rebounds and three assists.
Junior Moira Train scored 17 points for Bowdoin, making five trifectas and collecting three steals. Cohen (5 for 5 on field goals) and senior Samantha Roy both scored 12 points, with Roy adding seven assists.
Tufts continues its Maine weekend at Colby tomorrow afternoon in a 3 o'clock tip. The Polar Bears host Bates on Saturday also at 3.
