MIDDLEBURY, VT (January 27, 2024) -- Junior guard
Annika Decker scored a career-high 24 points while playing 52 minutes of action, but the Tufts University women's basketball team was outlasted by host Middlebury College in triple overtime 90-82 in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play from Pepin Gymnasium. The game featured 19 tie scores and 17 lead changes throughout the game, as the largest lead for either team was nine late in the second quarter for Middlebury.
The game was back-and-forth all game, as neither team held more than a one-possession game over the final 10 minutes of the game. Tufts (11-7, 3-3 NESCAC) led by three with 1:58 after a triple from Decker, but Alexa Mustafaj nailed a three of her own to make if 65-all late. After two free throws from senior forward
Maggie Russell gave the Jumbos the lead again with 90 seconds to go, Middlebury got a bucket from Augusta Dixon to dead lock the game at 67. Two late attempts at a win for Tufts wouldn't go and the game went to the first overtime period.
Middlebury led for most of the first overtime period, and took a three-point edge at 73-70 after Bethany Lucey hit two freebies with 35 seconds to go. On the next trip down for Tufts, Decker drove and connected with Sousa, who nailed a three from straight on to make it 73-73. A game-winning attempt by Mustafaj was short, as the game headed to the second overtime period.
Trailing 77-76 after a free throw by junior
Sofia Gonzalez, Tufts got a huge play as Decker stripped Mustafaj and drove in for a lay-up to put the Jumbos up 78-77 with 13 seconds left. Middlebury came right back to hit 1-of-2 from the free throw line, and a three-pointer with no time remaining by Gonzalez was just short with the contest needing another period. In the third extra frame, Tufts got a jumper from Decker with 2:49 left to tie the game at 82 but Mustafaj scored the next eight points, including four from the line to seal the win.
In the opening quarter, Russell was hot offensively as the senior tallied eight points while making three of her four field goals to make it 16-16 at the end of one. Both teams would score 16 points again in the second quarter, but Tufts finished the half on a 10-1 run to erase a nine-point lead, led by four points from senior guard
Callie O'Brien. The third quarter was like the fourth, as neither team had a lead of more than three while the stanza featured five lead changes and five tied scores.
The game was Tufts first overtime contest since January 21, 2023, when the Jumbos topped Bates College in Cousens Gymnasium. The loss was also the first overtime defeat for Tufts since February 19, 2011 when the Jumbos fell to Williams College 69-64 in the NESCAC quarterfinals.
Saturday's game was also the first-ever triple overtime game in program history dating back to 1981-82.
Decker finished 10-of-19 on the day from the floor, making three of her seven triples while adding five boards, four assists and three steals. Her 22 points eclipsed her previous career-high at Smith College last year. Russell posted a team-high 25 points, going 8-of-17 while adding seven rebounds before fouling out. Gonzalez also played 46 minutes, scoring 15 points to go with five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Middlebury had a pair of players score over 30 points, as Mustafaj tallied 31 points while Augusta Dixon finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds and five rebounds in 49 minutes.
Tufts will return home for its final two home games of the regular season next weekend, starting up Friday evening at 7 p.m. with a home tilt against Colby College inside Cousens Gymnasium.
--JUMBOS--
