BABSON PARK, MA (January 7, 2024) -- The No. 21 Tufts University women's basketball team struggled to score in the second half, tallying just 12 points in the final 20 minutes as the Jumbos fell on the road at Babson College 60-42 in play from Staake Gymnasium Sunday afternoon.
The Jumbos (9-4) led 30-27 after the first half, as junior
Sofia Gonzalez tallied 12 points in the first two quarters to put the visitors up after 20 minutes. Tufts had to rally from a nine-point deficit early in the game, taking its first lead of the game at 20-18 after a triple from first-year
Stella Galanes. The Jumbos would push their lead up to six at 24-18 on a lay-up by Gonzalez, and ended the period with three points to break a 27-27 tie to send the game into the halftime break.
The Beavers came out of the intermission and scored 14 of the first 15 points of the third quarter to take a 10-point lead after a three-pointer from Katelyn Mollica. A
Sophia Davis lay-up pulled Tufts to within eight at 3:36 to play in the third quarter, but that was as close as the Jumbos would get the rest of the way as Babson pulled away for the win.
Tufts shot just 14-of-60 on the afternoon (23.3 percent), while the Jumbos connected on four field goals in the second half. Gonzalez finished with a team-high 12 points, while
Samantha Sousa tallied five points and three rebounds as well. Davis came off the bench to record six points and pull in a team-high nine rebounds.
Mollica finished with a game-high 14 points to lead the Beavers (6-7), while Camila Silk added 14 points and four rebounds. Samantha Reale also poured in 12 points, and Chloe Perreault added 10 points in the win. Babson shot 44.4 percent (20-45) on the afternoon, while adding a 40-31 edge on the glass.
Tufts will look to get back into the win column Friday evening at 7 p.m., hosting Amherst College in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play inside Cousens Gymnasium January 12.
--JUMBOS--
