TUFTS AND ENDICOTT ADVANCE TO TOURNAMENT FINAL
COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL SCORES
Tufts Invitational First Round
Tufts 88 Bryn Mawr 23
Endicott 78 Smith 60
MEDFORD - Tufts University and Endicott College will meet on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 in the championship game of the Tufts Invitational after both won first-round games on Friday night at Cousens Gymnasium. The host Jumbos (1-0) routed Bryn Mawr College, 88-23, in the first game. Endicott (1-0) spurted past Smith in the second half for a 78-60 win in the second game. Bryn Mawr (0-1) and Smith (0-1) will play in the consolation game at 1:00 on Saturday.
Tufts allowed its fewest points in a game since a 67-20 win over Emerson on November 23, 2002. The Jumbos opened leads of 32-4 and 40-8 in the first half, and led 49-12 at the break. Junior guard Jessica Powers (Massapequa, NY) led nine Tufts scorers in the first half with 12 points. The Owls made just four of 22 shot attempts in the first 20 minutes.
Tufts was able to use its bench extensively in the second half and everyone made a strong contribution. Powers finished with a team-high 14 points on 6 for 7 shooting, while senior forward Allison Love (Duxbury, MA) had 13 points. Junior guard Julia Verplank (Zeeland, MI) contributed six points, five assists, four blocks and three steals. Sophomore guard Marilyn Duffy-Cabana (Amesbury, MA) was the only Jumbo not to score, but she had five assists, three rebounds and two steals in 19 minutes. Tufts shot 56.5 percent from the floor (35/62) and had a 40-19 margin in rebounds. Bryn Mawr, just 8 for 40 shooting (20-percent) overall, was led by eight points and four rebounds from sophomore guard Amy Johnson (Bernardsville, NJ). Senior co-captain Deb Charamella (Springfield, PA) scored seven points and had four assists.
In the nightcap, Endicott led Smith by two at the half, 34-32. The Gulls broke it open in the first part of the second half. They turned a 34-34 tie into a 60-38 lead with a 26-4 run ending at 11:01. Junior guard Liz Yuneman (Middle Village, NY) and junior co-captain Jodi Brown (Coventry, RI) led the charge with seven points apiece during the stretch. Smith College would get no closer than 14 points, 67-53, following a pair of free throws by junior Kerry Jo Nagle (Florence, MA) at 4:17.
Yuneman finished with 18 points to lead Endicott, including 6 for 8 shooting from the field. Sophomore Lisa Chartier (Templeton, MA) was productive with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Pioneers were paced by junior Shelley Harrison's (Reston, VA) 14 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and four steals. Sophomore guard Nati Lenchner (Azor, Israel) had 13 points including three threes.
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