MEDFORD, MA (March 11, 2023) -- A memorable, unforgettable season for the No. 21 Tufts University women's basketball team came to an end on Saturday evening at home in Cousens Gymnasium, as the Jumbos fell to No. 1 Christopher Newport University 72-56 in the NCAA Division III Tournament Elite 8 Round in front of a raucous crowd.
The Jumbos (24-7) can look back fondly on an amazing run over the last two months, winning 12 games in a row to get to Saturday's Elite 8 game. That stretch included a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title, along with three NCAA Tournament victories while hosting two rounds in the NCAA Tournament.
The Elite 8 appearance for Tufts was the eighth in program history, and first since 2019 and first for head coach
Jill Pace. It was the 14th NCAA appearance for Tufts, and the Sweet 16 appearance was the 11th straight and 12th overall for the program. The squad finished with 24 victories on the season, the 11th straight campaign with 20 or more triumphs in a season. Furthermore, junior
Maggie Russell tallied 50 points this weekend, scoring 18 on Saturday evening to get to hit 1,000 points exactly for her career. Russell becomes the 17th player all-time at Tufts to each the 1,000-point plateau, and still has one more season as a Jumbo.
Saturday's game came against a squad in Christopher Newport that has not lost a game in 2022-23, as it entered the game 29-0 but the Jumbos were up for the fight. After CNU took a 9-4 lead, Tufts tallied six straight points to take a 10-9 lead after a traditional three-point play by Russell. The Captains would net eight of the next 10 points to take an 18-12 lead into the second quarter.
CNU quickly pushed its lead to eight points on a Sondra Fan lay-up, but a three-pointer from
Sofia Gonzalez pulled Tufts back to within five midway through the period. The visitors would continue to lead through the second stanza, earning its largest lead of nine with 1:31 left in the half. Two free throws by
Callie O'Brien and a bucket by
Maggie Russell just before the break sent the game into intermission at 30-25 CNU.
The Captains stormed out of the second half gate as they tallied the first seven points to lead 37-25 on a Gabbi San Diego jumper, forcing a timeout by the Jumbos. That stoppage was a turning point for Tufts, as it scored the next 12 points over 3:30 to tie the game at 37 on a bucket by Russell. San Diego would help lead a 9-2 run by the Captains to regain a seven-point advantage, and eventually led by six heading to the fourth at 51-45.
The Jumbos showed the grit they had all season in the beginning of the fourth, pulling to within one 55 seconds into the frame after an O'Brien corner triple made the score 51-50. CNU's Hannah Kaloi answered with a three-pointer, which spurred a 10-0 run capped by a Fan three-pointer to make it an 11-point game with just under four minutes to go. Tufts got the CNU edge back down to seven after a three-point play from Gonzalez, but the Captains were able to ice the game from the line to secure a spot in the NCAA Division III Final Four round next weekend in Hartford, CT.
"Kudos to Christopher Newport, they played a great game," said Pace. "We battled back, they kept going...couldn't be prouder of this group for the game they continued to battle. Quarter-by-quarter, no matter what was thrown at them. That's the way they've been all season, so not surprising they did it again tonight."
O'Brien finished with a season-high Saturday night, going 8-of-10 from the field to register 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal. Russell got to 1,000 points on 8-of-22 shooting, grabbing 10 rebounds to tally her 16th double-double of the season. Gonzalez added 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, and
Samantha Sousa added five rebounds. The Jumbos shot a very solid 44.0 percent (22-50) from the field on Saturday evening, but 20 turnovers ended up in a 22-5 edge for the Captains in the points off turnovers category.
San Diego registered a career-high on 9-of-16 shooting, going 12-for-13 at the charity stripe on the way to 32 points. Fan finished with 18 points, and Camille Malagar added eight points as well in the win. The Captains will now take on Rhode Island College at Oosting Gymnasium on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford, CT. RIC advanced after knocking off Babson College 60-47 Saturday.
The Jumbos lose one player senior captain
Joelle Zelony to graduation but are scheduled to return 14 letter-winners to the roster in 2023-24.
--JUMBOS--
