MEDFORD, MA (November 21, 2023) -- Senior forward
Maggie Russell scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, helping the No. 4 Tufts University women's basketball team pull away from visiting Colorado College in non-conference play from Cousens Gymnasium Tuesday evening.
The Jumbos (4-1) picked up the win, their fourth straight, but it wasn't easy as the physical style of the Tigers gave Tufts some issues in the first half. Colorado College used its length and height to its advantage, posting 12 offensive rebounds while taking a 15-0 edge in second-chance points into the break. Despite that, The Jumbos still led by three at the intermission as senior
Samantha Sousa fueled Tufts with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the opening half.
CC came out quick in the first few minutes, scoring the first seven points and leading 9-2 after a bucket by Zoe Tomlinson. Tufts scored the game's next 11 points to take a four-point edge at 13-9 after a pair of freebies from Sousa. In the second quarter Rose Koehler helped the Tigers (2-2) regain a 22-18 lead with a lay-up off an offensive rebound, but another 11-2 run capped by a driving lay-up from junior guard
Annika Decker put Tufts up 29-24. The score would eventual settle at 29-26 heading into the intermission.
Tufts used the halftime well, as it built its lead up to double-digits for the first time in the game with 2:43 remaining in the period on a jumper from Russell. Tufts would shoot 66.7 percent in the third quarter, going 8-of-9 on shots inside the three-point arc to lead by 13 at 53-40.
The momentum by the Jumbos continued into the fourth quarter, as Tufts held CC to two points over the first seven minutes, going on a 19-2 run to make it a 30-point lead after a lay-up from junior
Caitlyn O'Boyle. Colorado College clawed back down the stretch, but could get no closer than 20 as Tufts earned the win.
The Jumbos led for 28:32 of the contest, and pulled away thanks to hot shooting in the second half, going 19-of-31 in the third and fourth quarters. Tufts finished 31-of-64 (48.4 percent) from the floor, as Russell was 8-of-16 on the night while adding nine rebounds. Sousa posted a career-high 18 points in the win, making seven of her eight field goals. Decker tallied 10 points, five assists, three steals and six rebounds, while
Mallory Folliard came off the bench to score nine points in 11 minutes, also contributing three rebounds and two assists.
Sophomore
Annie Aspesi also played 22 very effective minutes, as she tied for the team lead in plus-minus with first-year
Stella Galanes at +27. The Jumbos also allowed only two second-chance points in the second half, as well as just four offensive rebounds.
Colorado College got 16 points and 10 boards from Tomlinson, and Audrey Bayston finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds. Kayla Mackel also added nine points for the Tigers, who were 20-of-64 (31.3 percent) on the night from the floor.
The Jumbos will have a few days off before returning to action on Sunday at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine in non-conference road play.
--JUMBOS--
