Box Score 
WILLIAMSTOWN - In their final game of the regular-season, the Tufts University women's basketball team (19-3, 8-2 NESCAC) defeated the Williams College Ephs (9-14, 3-7 NESCAC) in Chandler Gym at Williams College, 69-64.
The game was close in the first quarter, but Williams managed to pull ahead before halftime. Tufts answered back with a 16-0 run in the third to give the Jumbos back the lead. Williams responded with a run of their own, but the Jumbos managed to keep hold of their lead in the final minutes of regulation.
Two Tufts starters scored 20-plus points. Forward Sofia Rosa (pictured) scored the most for the Jumbos, posting 22 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Maggie Russell turned in yet another double-double, scoring 20 points, corralling 16 rebounds (four on offense) and three assists. Tufts out-rebounded Williams 44-35, and the team made 15 of 17 free throws, which became crucial in the final moments of the game. Williams also had two scorers turning in 20-point performances, with guard Maggie Meehan and forward Arianna Gerig scoring 22 points each.
In the first quarter, the two teams traded layups, with both teams taking advantage of misfired passes to regain possession. Turnovers allowed Williams to tie the game at 9 apiece at the six-minute mark, with Tufts' Molly Ryan and Williams guard Devin Biesbrock each knocking down three-pointers in subsequent possessions. Neither team went on a significant run in the first quarter, with each basket being quickly answered on the other side of the floor. An Annika Decker layup in the waning seconds of the quarter made it an 18-15 game for Tufts at the end of the first.
In the second period, Ryan scored a quick jumper on the first possession, but two quick baskets in the paint by the Ephs made it a one-point game. A missed Ryan free throw and two made Williams free throws tied the game once again at 21-21. Both teams played stout defense, but Williams' Meehan was able to score on some difficult shots from mid-range on two consecutive possessions to give Williams a four-point lead. The momentum began to shift in the direction of Williams throughout the second quarter, growing their lead to eight. An incredible pass from Ryan in the paint out to an open Russell beyond the arc brought the Jumbos right back into the game. Another Russell three-pointer brought the Williams lead down to four, which remained the point differential as the teams went into halftime, 31-27 Williams.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Williams scored four quick points of their own after an early Jumbo layup, but Tufts answered back with layups and free throws off the hands of Rosa to tie the game at 35 all. Russell was fouled in the act of shooting and netted both of her free throws to give Tufts the lead. The Jumbo offense roared to life, tearing off a 16-0 advantage to give the Jumbos a 10-point lead, capped off by a rainbow three-pointer by grad student Erin Poindexter McHan. Williams ended the Jumbo run with a layup by Gerig, but the Jumbos answered back with a layup by forward Angela Alibrandi and a stunning shot from behind the arc by guard Callie O'Brien to bring the lead up to 13. Tufts entered the final period with an 11-point lead, up 50-39 against their NESCAC opponents.
In the fourth quarter, the teams continued to trade buckets at a rapid rate, with the Ephs taking advantage of Jumbo turnovers and bringing the lead down to seven points. Russell cut through the defenders and spun around to bring the Tufts lead back up to nine. Williams responded back with a 7-0 run of their own, bringing the Jumbo lead down to two. The Jumbo defense did not let up, making crucial stops, corralling important rebounds and scoring on the other side of the court to bring the lead back up to six. In the final minutes of regulation, both teams maintained strong energy on both offense and defense, and the Jumbos entered the game's final minute with a tenuous four-point lead. Tufts fought through the Ephs' full-court press and cut time off the clock, but an errant pass gave Williams back possession with 35 seconds remaining. The Ephs drove to the rim, but Williams' Meehan missed a jump shot that fell out of bounds. The Ephs quickly fouled Russell three times to get her to the line, but Russell made both of her free throws. With 13 seconds left, Williams' Gerig made a quick layup to bring the game back within four, and, after two time outs by both teams, the Jumbos regained possession. Decker was quickly fouled, and made both of her free throws, but Williams once again answered with a quick layup. The foul game continued, and Rosa nailed one of her two free throws to seal the game for the Jumbos.
Written by Max Chow-Gillette, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
