JUMBOS WIN 81-56 AT CONNECTICUT COLLEGE IN NESCAC OPENER
COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Tufts 86 Connecticut College 51
At New London, CT
Friday, January 16, 2004
NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Tufts University (7-2, 1-0) opened New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play Friday night with an 86-51 victory over Connecticut College (5-6, 0-1) at Luce Fieldhouse. Sophomore guard Jessica Powers (Massapequa, NY) and senior center Erin Buckley (East Sandwich, MA) netted 14 points apiece for the visiting Jumbos. Junior forward Allison Love (Duxbury, MA) chipped in with 11 points and six boards for the winning side. Freshman Casey Thran (Dalton, PA) led all scorers with 19 points to go with six boards for the Camels. Sarah Huntington (Norwich, CT) added 10 points for Connecticut College.
Connecticut College battled the Jumbos early and trailed 19-16 after a bucket from Mollie Gage (New York, NY) at the 10:34 mark. But Tufts took control midway through the half, putting together an 18-3 run and opening up a 37-19 lead with 5:01 remaining. Sophomore guard Julia Verplank (Zeeland, MI) keyed the run with some perimeter offense and timely passing. The Camels countered with a 10-4 run at the end of the half ignited by the post play of Thran, who netted 17 of her 19 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Leading 41-29 at the break, the Jumbos opened the second half with an offensive surge that put the game away. When Love hit a three with 9:41 to go, Tufts had built its largest lead at 64-39. The Jumbos shot 52% in the game. Gage finished with nine points and six rebounds for the Camels in the post.
The Jumbos will visit undefeated Wesleyan University on Saturday at 3:00.
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