NEW LONDON, CT (January 25, 2025) -- The Tufts University women's basketball team outscored host Connecticut College 18-4 in the fourth and final quarter, pulling away for its third straight New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) win with a 59-43 victory in play from Luce Field House Saturday afternoon.
The Jumbos (12-6, 3-2 NESCAC) have already eclipsed last year's win total thanks to Saturday's victory, which did not come easy despite the final score. Going into the fourth quarter, Tufts led the host Camels (10-9, 0-5 NESCAC) by just two at 41-39 following a pair of free throws by fifth-year
Callie O'Brien.
Tufts would dominate the fourth quarter, holding the Camels without a field goal for the first 8:21 of the fourth quarter and 11 minutes dating back to the third quarter as it crew its lead up to as much as 18 with 2:48 to go in regulation following a free throw by
Annika Decker. In all, Tufts went on an 18-0 run from the 1:54 mark of the third quarter, as Tufts didn't allow a two-point score from the Camels for the final 13:28 of the contest.
In the fourth quarter, Tufts shot a blistering 62.5 percent from the floor, including going 7-of-9 at the charity stripe while Connecticut College made just 1-of-11 on field goals (9.1 percent) while adding nine turnovers in the frame.
Up to the end though the game was a close affair, as Tufts led 26-23 at the halftime intermission after back-to-back lay-ups from
Caitlyn O'Boyle just before the half. The squads exchanged the lead four times in the second quarter, and the Camels tied the game three times in the third frame before the Jumbos run came.
Senior
Sofia Gonzalez continued to score for the Jumbos with 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting, adding four rebounds, three assists and a game-high seven steals. The seven thefts ted for the most in a NESCAC game this season, and the most for a Tufts player since she tallied nine steals last year on February 9 at Wesleyan University.
O'Boyle was a force on the glass with a career-high 15 rebounds, adding two steals, and first-year
Monet Witherspoon finished with 11 points and two steals. Sophomore
Stella Galanes also added 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting, making one of her four triples, and is averaging 10.2 points per game since being inserted into the starting lineup during the three-game win streak.
Hannah Kelly also came off the bench to score seven points in 17 minutes.
Tufts shot 40.4 percent overall, strong after a tough 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) clip in the opening stanza. The Jumbos also were effective at the line, making 84.2 percent (16-19), and forced 26 Camel turnovers on Saturday. The 26 giveaways was the most in a NESCAC game forced by the Jumbos since Conn. College committed 27 back on January 26, 2018.
Mia Xerras had a team-high 12 points for the Camels and Hayle Thompson had nine points and five rebounds as well in the loss.
Tufts will look to continue its winning ways next Friday evening at 7 p.m. on January 31, taking on Wesleyan University inside Cousens Gymnasium in NESCAC action.
--JUMBOS--
