MIDDLEBURY, VT (January 17, 2026) -- Senior guard
Annie Aspesi set career-highs in points and rebounds Saturday afternoon, helping lead the Tufts University women's basketball team to a 67-53 win over host Middlebury College in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) action from Pepin Gymnasium.
The win snapped a four-game losing skid for the Jumbos, who picked up their first conference win of the year while evening their overall record on the season at 8-8.
The story was the career performance of Aspesi, who finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds on 9-of-13 shooting. She also nailed five of her seven three-point attempts, and assisted on three other baskets.
The game was tight going into the fourth quarter, as Middlebury led by three with 8:22 to go in regulation after a Gabby Stuart lay-up to make the score 51-48. The Tufts defense would lock in from that point, not allowing another field goal for eight minutes of the fourth quarter as the Jumbos went on a 17-0 run to run away for the victory.
Tufts started well and led by six after the opening period, eventually taking a 36-29 lead into halftime. Tufts led by 14 in the second quarter after a bucket by
Abby Congdon at 31-17, but an 8-0 run by the Panthers made it a seven-point game going to the break.
The Jumbos continued to lead until the 7:03 mark of the third quarter, as Middlebury tied the game in the third at 41 after another Stuart field goal. Sophomore
Claire Kolkhorst put Tufts up four with 2:54 remaining in the third stanza with a lay-up, and Tufts ended up leading 48-45 going into the fourth quarter setting up the big fourth quarter for the Jumbos.
Kolkhorst finished with 10 points, going 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep for 10 points. Congdon tallied nine points, three assists, three rebounds and three steals for the Jumbos, while first-year
Tessa Lozner tallied eight points as well.
Sophomore
Siobhan Stapleton had a season-high eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, adding four assists and five rebounds, and
Abi Stone came off the bench to post five points as well.
The Jumbos shot the ball well, going 28-of-55 from the field for a 50.9 field goal percentage on the afternoon. It was the second best shooting performance of the season for the Jumbos this year, and the best thus far in NESCAC play.
Tufts also took advantage of the 14 Middlebury turnovers, outscoring the Panthers 17-6 in points off turnovers.
Stuart and Islay Moore finished with 16 and 13 points for the Panthers, respectively.
The Jumbos get two days off before taking on No. 4 Smith College Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. inside Cousens Gymnasium in non-conference action.
--JUMBOS--
