MEDFORD, MA (February 10, 2026) -- The Tufts University women's basketball team finished non-conference play for the 2025-26 season Tuesday evening, knocking off visiting Emmanuel College 61-57 inside Cousens Gymnasium.
With the victory, Tufts and first-year head coach
Meredith Mesaris clinched a winning record for the campaign, as Tufts improved to 13-10 on the season.
The two teams exchanged the lead four times in the early going, but an 8-0 run from the Jumbos capped by a three-pointer from junior
Annie Ryan gave Tufts a 14-8 lead with 1:16 remaining in the first quarter.
Emmanuel (15-6) came back to regain the lead at 21-19 after a traditional three-point play by Megan Reilly with 3:20, but Ryan nailed back-to-back triples followed by a
Claire Kolkhorst free throw to give the Jumbos a 26-21 lead at the halftime intermission.
Ryan's nine points led all scorers in the first stanza, while senior
Sarah Crossett had a strong first half with three points, seven rebounds and two assists.
The Jumbos came out fast in the third quarter, taking the game's largest lead of 12 at 36-24 at the 4:55 mark of the period on a three-pointer from Kolkhorst. Emmanuel would chip away at the Tufts' lead though, getting as close at five with 34 seconds to go in the period before trailing 47-41 after three quarters.
The Saints continued to press as they got to within one at 51-50 following a Nylah Mitchell basket with 6:41 to go, but two quick scores by Tufts pushed its lead back out to two possessions. Emmanuel continued to stick around but clutch lay-ups by senior
Annie Aspesi and first-year
Abby Congdon late in the shot clock helped put the Jumbos up 59-54 with 49 seconds to play.
Emmanuel would commit a turnover on its next possession, and two Aspesi free throws clinched the victory for the Jumbos.
Aspesi had a team-high 13 points in the win, going 5-of-6 from the line while grabbing six rebounds. Congdon had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, hitting both three-pointers she took, and Ryan finished with 12 points and two steals off the bench.
First-year guard
Tessa Lozner tallied a team-high +14 when on the floor, chalking up six points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Crossett finished with five points and a career-high 15 rebounds. It was the most rebounds in a game for Crossett since she tallied 13 against Brandeis University her first season on November 19, 2022. The 15 boards were also the most by a Jumbo in a game this year, and tied for the sixth-most by a NESCAC player.
Kolkhorst also posted nine points and five steals, and
Abi Stone came off the bench to tally six points in the win. Tufts shot 40 percent (22-55) for the evening, going 9-of-21 from behind the three-point line (42.9 percent). Tufts held an 18-10 edge in points off turnovers, despite losing the giveaway battle 21-16.
Mitchell had a game-high 16 points for the Saints, while Kalia Saunders also recorded 10 points for Emmanuel.
Tufts will finish its regular season on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. inside Cousens Gymnasium, taking on Bates College for Senior Day in the regular season and New England Small College Athletic Conference finale.
--JUMBOS--
