JUMBOS WIN REGULAR-SEASON HOME FINALE VERUS WHEATON

COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Tufts 76            Wheaton 66

At Medford
Tuesday, February 10, 2004

Game Statistics

MEDFORD – Senior tri-captain Maritsa Christoudias (Saddle River, NJ) scored 13 points with nine rebounds and five steals to lead the Tufts University women's basketball team to a 76-66 victory over Wheaton College in non-conference action at Cousens Gym on Tuesday night.

With the victory, the Jumbos (15-5) finished their regular-season home schedule with a 9-1 record. They now face two critical NESCAC games at Middlebury on Friday and at Williams on Saturday as they look to secure a home court berth into the conference tournament. Tufts is currently in a four-way tie for second place at 5-2 in the conference. Senior co-captain Taryn Brassil (Holyoke, MA) led Wheaton (6-15) with 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in 39 minutes played. The win was the seventh straight in the series for the Jumbos over the Lyons.

Tufts never trailed in the game and led by 18 at the half, 38-20. A 15-2 run in the second part of the first half gave them a 35-15 lead on a jumper by junior Allison Love (Duxbury, MA) at 5:01. Sophomore guard Jessica Powers (Massapequa, NY) had seven points to pace Tufts at the break, while junior Kate Williams (Portland, OR) had the same for Wheaton.

The visitors made a game out of it in the second half. The Jumbos extended their lead to 24 points, 55-31, on a lay-up by senior tri-captain Kate Gluckman (Morrisville, VT) at 13:09. They still had a healthy lead as the clock wound down under 10 minutes, but Wheaton made a late run. The Lyons converted eight free throws during a 10-1 spurt that closed the gap to seven points, 64-57, on a pair of freebies by freshman guard Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY) at 3:43. The Lyons out-scored the Jumbos 26-9 from 12:18 to 3:43 in the second half. Tufts would regain its double-digit advantage at the line and keep it for most of the remainder of the game.

The Jumbos, who shot just 31.4 percent (11/35) in the second half, got 13 points from Powers and 12 from Gluckman. Love contributed 10 points and seven rebounds as Tufts earned a 48-38 margin in rebounding. Senior tri-captain Erin Buckley (East Sandwich, MA) blocked six shots for the Jumbos.

Wheaton, which out-scored the Jumbos 46-38 in the second half, had 13 points from senior Amanda Dow-Allen (Greenfield, MA). Freshman Kim McCormack (Milton, MA) scored 11 points with seven rebounds.

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