Box Score 
MEDFORD – The 15th-ranked Tufts University women's basketball team pulled away from MIT in the fourth quarter for an 81-65 victory on Saturday afternoon at Cousens Gym.
The Jumbos, led today by 21 points each from Molly Ryan and Maggie Russell, finish the fall semester at 7-1. MIT, which led by as many as 10 points in the game, dropped to 4-5. Christina Antonakakis played all 40 minutes and had a game-high 25 points for the Engineers.
After Tufts had led 57-44 late in the third quarter, MIT rallied to tie the score at 59-59 on a jumper by Sarah Berman with six minutes remaining in regulation. However, Tufts would finish the game with a 22-6 run to put away the Engineers.
During the Jumbos' finishing stretch, Russell and Ryan both had six points and Annika Decker scored five points. A three-pointer by Erin Poindexter McHan with 2:33 left put Tufts up 72-60 and they led comfortably the rest of the way.
MIT was ahead at both the end of the first quarter and at the half. Antonakakis and Kylie Gallagher both scored seven points and MIT shot nine for 15 (60 percent) in the first 10 minutes for a 20-16 lead. They then scored the first six points of the second quarter and led 26-16 on an Antonakakis jumper. Tufts would cut the gap to 38-35 at intermission though, and Antonakais with 15 and Russell with 12 led their respective teams at the break.
The Jumbos would turn things around in the third quarter. A 10-0 Tufts run led by five points from McHan and four by Ryan gave the Jumbos a 47-42 advantage. They would take the margin to 13 points (57-44) on jumper by Ryan late in the period. Outscoring MIT 22-11 in the third, Tufts made 10 of 19 shots (52.8 percent) in the period.
Though a 13-2 MIT run paced by Antonakakis and Berman scoring five points each tied the score in the fourth quarter, the Jumbos finished strong.
Tufts outscored MIT by 29 points when McHan was on the floor today as she hit four threes and finished with 14 points. Russell added 15 rebounds and four assists to her game, while Ryan also assisted four Tufts hoops. Angela Alibrandi (pictured) and Decker both had seven points off the Jumbo bench, with Alibrandi adding eight rebounds (six offensive) and Decker four assists. The Jumbos had 23 offensive rebounds overall that they turned into 21 second-chance points.
Antonakakis had 11 field goals for MIT including three three-pointers. Gallagher finished with 18 points and added six rebounds.
The Jumbos will next play in the UC Santa Cruz Tournament December 29 and 30.
