MEDFORD, MA (February 25, 2023) – The Jumbos had three different players score double digit points enroute to a 74-39 victory over the Middlebury Panthers, in the semifinals of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament hosted at Cousens Gymnasium.
The Jumbos used a big first quarter to build a lead that they never gave back as they outscored the Panthers 21 to 5. Junior guard
Callie O'Brien scored seven of her 12 points in the quarter including a jumper at the buzzer. Off the bench for Tufts was
Mallory Folliard who was a force on both ends of the floor as she scored four points.
In the second quarter, Tufts' hot streak would continue as their lead would grow to as many as 24 after
Sofia Gonzalez knocked down back-to-back three pointers. The Panthers would not go away though as they continued to battle and held Tufts scoreless over the final 2:43 of the quarter and cut the lead to 18 going into halftime with Augusta Dixon scoring a layup as the buzzer.
To start the third quarter, Tufts made sure to not let the Panthers back into the game as O'Brien opened the scoring by hitting a three pointer while
Maggie Russell was able to score layup and push the Jumbo lead back up to 23. Alexa Mustafaj would continue to keep the Panthers within striking distance by knocking down two technical foul free throws and then make a free throw following a made layup. But over the final five minutes of the game, the Jumbos would go on a 12-5 run that saw the Jumbos shoot 66.7 percent from the field during the third quarter.
In the final session, Tufts continued to push the pace and keep the Panthers on their back foot as they would shoot 9-of-15 (60 percent) from the field to seal the victory. A 9-0 run to start the quarter gave the Jumbos all the momentum they needed to prevail.
Ayah Harper and
Sophia Davis each scored four points in the quarter.
With the win, Tufts (20-6) has won their eighth game in a row. The Jumbos shot 49.2 percent from the floor Saturday afternoon, while going 8-of-8 (100 percent) from the free-throw line. Russell led the Jumbos with a double-double by scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. O'Brien added 12 points and had four assists while Folliard scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Middlebury (15-11) was led by Mustafaj who scored 16 points while Dixon added nine points and seven rebounds. As a team the Panthers shot 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) from the free throw during the game,
Tufts will now compete in the NESCAC Championship game tomorrow at 12 PM at Cousens Gymnasium against the winner of the second semifinal game between No. 2 seed Williams and No. 3 seed Trinity.
--JUMBOS--
