JUMBOS CAN'T HOLD LEAD, LOSE AT MIDDLEBURY IN OT

COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Middlebury 57    Tufts 53    ot

At Middlebury, VT
Saturday, January 21, 2006

Game Statistics

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Middlebury forced 24 Tufts turnovers on its way to a 57-53 overtime win over the Jumbos in NESCAC women's basketball action. The Jumbos held a 52-38 edge on the boards and shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half, but it wasn't enough as the Panthers picked up the league win.

Middlebury led 12-7 in the first half before Tufts went on a 10-0 run at the 14:50 mark to take a 16-12 lead with 9:09 remaining in the half. The teams exchanged leads three more times in the half before the Jumbos took a 27-24 advantage into the intermission.

Tufts outscored Middlebury 13-4 in the first 7:38 of the second half to take a 40-30 lead with 12:22 remaining. Trailing by seven with 6:58 left to play, the Panthers went on a quick 6-0 run, sparked by four points from Erin Lackey, to cut the lead to one at the 3:34 mark.

Late in the game, junior Libby Park (Massena, NY) converted inside to give Tufts a 49-46 lead with just 21 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Katie Fisher knocked down a three from the top of the key with 11 seconds left to tie the game at 49. Tufts had a chance to win it late, but junior Taryn Miller-Stevens' (Avon, CT) shot fell short from the left side, forcing the game into overtime.

Middlebury scored the first six points in the overtime, taking a 55-49 lead with 2:05 remaining. Khalilah Ummah (Litchfield, ME) hit one of two free throws, followed by an inside hoop from Julia Verplank (Zeeland, MI) to cut the lead to 55-52. The Jumbos would have a couple of chance to cut the lead to one or tie the game, but could not take advantage. Fisher knocked down a pair of free throws to give Middlebury a 57-52 lead and put the game out of reach with 12 seconds remaining.

Micaela McVary led Middlebury with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Alanna Young added 14 points and seven boards, while Fisher scored 11 with five points and five assists.

Laura Jasinski (Leverett, MA) paced Tufts with 12 points and a game-high 17 boards, while Park added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Middlebury moved to 12-4 and 2-2 in NESCAC while the Jumbos dropped to 7-9 and 1-3.

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