Box Score MEDFORD – With all 15 players entering the game and attempting at least one shot, and points from 13 different players, the Tufts University women's basketball team defeated the Clarks Summit University Lady Defenders by a score of 84-54 in the first round of the 2022 Division III Women's Basketball Championship at Cousens Gymnasium on Friday night.
The Jumbos caught fire immediately with two Callie O'Brien (pictured) three-pointers, followed by a three-pointer from Erin Poindexter McHan to go up 9-0 just three minutes into the game. Their tight defense paired with the ability to grab offensive rebounds limited Clarks Summit's opportunities to respond. After the 9-0 Jumbo run was halted by a Torri Laman layup for the Defenders, Tufts kickstarted another run, this time scoring 10 unanswered points to take a controlling 19-2 lead. Maggie Russell scored six consecutive points to start the run and it was capped off by an Angela Alibrandi jumper and Molly Ryan layup. For the remainder of the quarter, Clarks Summit put five points on the board and Poindexter McHan drained another three-pointer to give the Jumbos a 22-7 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Tufts dominance continued in the second quarter with Russell hitting a jump shot 16 seconds in to make it 24-7. From there, Tufts put together a 10-4 run, with Poindexter McHan making two more three-pointers to start off shooting four for four from beyond the arc. The run also included layups from Alibrandi and freshman Ayah Harper. Clarks Summit's Michaela McLeod responded with consecutive baskets to bring them within 19 points, but Tufts finished off the half with seven consecutive points on a Russell layup, O'Brien three-pointer and Mallory Folliard layup, to make the score 41-15 in favor of the Jumbos at halftime. Poindexter McHan ended the half with 12 points, Russell had 10 points and O'Brien finished with nine.
After Clarks Summit started off the second half with an Elizabeth Singleton jumper, Ryanresponded immediately with a three-pointer followed by a Sofia Rosa layup, only to be answered right back by an Alison Aten three-pointer for the Defenders. Offensively, the Jumbos went late into the shot clock on almost all of their possessions, taking time off the clock and giving Clarks Summit even more of an uphill battle to come back. The two teams traded baskets for much of the remainder of the third quarter, but Tufts ended on a 12-7 run that included two three-pointers from O'Brien, four points from Joelle Zelony and an Alibrandi jumper to give the Jumbos a 66-35 lead heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Tufts started on a 12-3 run to give them their largest lead of the game at 40 points with the score at 78-38 with just under six and a half minutes remaining. Clarks Summit found some success in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Jumbos 19-18 with Singleton and Laman leading the way with six and five points respectively. Hannah Kelly mostly controlled Tufts' offense in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of the Jumbos' 18 fourth-quarter points and helping finish off the 84-54 victory.
Both O'Brien and Poindexter McHan tied for the team-high of 15 points on five made three-pointers with O'Brien adding eight rebounds and six assists. Russell put up 14 points for the Jumbos along with seven rebounds and four assists. For Clarks Summit, Singleton led the team with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists. Laman and McLeod were also in double digits for the Defenders, with Laman finishing with 11 points and McLeod finishing with 10.
Tufts will now advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, when they will host DeSales University at 5 pm at Cousens Gymnasium.
Written by Tim O'Brien, Athletic Communications Intern
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