MEDFORD, MA (January 21, 2023) -- Junior forward
Maggie Russell scored a career-high 33 points Saturday afternoon, outlasting visiting Bates College 84-75 in overtime in a thrilling New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) contest inside Cousens Gymnasium.
The game featured 11 ties and 11 lead changes Saturday afternoon, as a pair of All-Americans duels for the majority of the game. Bates College senior guard Meghan Graff was sensational, as she became Bates' new all-time leading scorer with a bucket early in the second quarter en route to a game-high 44 points. Not to be outdone, Russell helped carry her team down the stretch, as she poured in a new career-best going 11-of-25 from the floor while making 10 of her 15 free throws.
In overtime though, the biggest plays of the session came from junior
Samantha Sousa. With the Jumbos down three with three minutes left, Sousa drilled a three-pointer to tie the game at 71. After
Annika Decker answered a Graff three-pointer with one of her own to make it 76-75 Tufts, the hosts ran the shot clock down to single digits and Sousa finished a huge drive with 35 seconds left to make it a three-point game at 78-75. Those five points in overtime were Sousa's only points of the game, but none were bigger for the Jumbos.
That bucket would be a clincher for the Jumbos, as Bates would go scoreless over the last two minutes of the overtime period thanks to strong defense and Tufts was 6-of-6 from the line to clinch the victory. The start was strong for Bates Saturday, leading by as many as six points after a Graff jumper five minutes into the game. History was made for Graff at 8:10 of the second quarter, as she passed Emily King and her 1,478 points to move into the top spot all-time in scoring at Bates with a three-pointer.
Bates would grow its lead up to as many as 11 in the second quarter, but Tufts rallied with a 14-0 run over 2:08 of the stanza put the Jumbos up 32-29 after a
Callie O'Brien bucket. After handing the lead back and forth, Tufts finished the period on a 7-0 run to take a 42-36 lead into the break. In the third, Tufts led for much of the quarter though neither team could get it going offensively as it was 55-55 after three.
In the fourth, Bates took its first lead since midway through the second on a Sophie Spolter and-one to make it 60-59. The two teams would answer back and forth, as Russell and Graff scored the 10 points to send the game to overtime. Late in the fourth though, both teams had shots to win it but Tufts missed eight attempts at a game-winner in the final 2:36, while Bates only had one shot during that time as the teams settled for the extra session where Tufts would grab the win.
In addition to Russell, sophomore
Sofia Gonzalez totaled 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win, making three trifectas, and O'Brien added 14 points, six boards and four assists as well as three steals. Decker played 39 minutes and tallied seven points, four rebounds and three thefts, while
Sarah Crossett added seven points and three assists. Tufts was 26-of-65 (40 percent) on the game, including going 5-of-5 from the field in overtime. The Jumbos also made 26 of its 36 attempts at the line.
Graff was 17-of-29 on the game as she played in all 45 minutes Saturday, while Alexandra Long came off the bench to post nine points and four rebounds.
The Jumbos will travel to Smith College on Monday at 7 p.m. to take on the No. 5 Smith College in the final non-conference contest of the season for Tufts.
--JUMBOS--
