Teams: Women's Basketball: Schedule & Results

JUMBOS BEAT BATES DOWN THE STRETCH FOR THIRD NESCAC WIN

COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Tufts 72    Bates 64

At Medford
Saturday, January 20, 2007

Game Statistics

Jenna Gomez scored a career-high 17 points in the victory over Bates

MEDFORD � Tufts had a 9-0 run late in the game to erase a two-point deficit and go on to a 72-64 victory over Bates College in a quickly-played NESCAC women's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Cousens Gym. Junior Jenna Gomez (Norfolk, MA) scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Jumbos, while senior Valerie Krah (Mountain Lakes, NJ) had 16.

With Tufts trailing 60-58, a Gomez lay-up with 3:32 left in the second half tied the score at 60-60. Krah's three-pointer put Tufts up 63-60 with 2:54 to play. Gomez then scored the next five points and Tufts led 67-60 with 1:28 on the clock. Tufts grabbed two offensive rebounds during the stretch, while Bates missed two shots and turned the ball over once.

The victory was the fourth in a row for the Jumbos, who improved to 3-0 in NESCAC and 11-5 overall. The 11 victories surpasses their total from a year ago and it was their first win against Bates since 2003. The Bobcats fell to 9-7 overall and 1-2 in the league.

The game was played tightly and briskly, with the margin never reaching more than eight points and the finishing time less than 90 minutes. The Jumbos led 33-28 at the break behind 10 points from Krah and eight by Gomez. Senior guard Taryn Miller-Stevens (Avon, CT) had eight assists for Tufts in the first 20 minutes of play. Sarah Barton (Portsmouth, NH) and Val Beckwith (Woburn, MA) each had five points at the half for the Bobcats.

The Jumbos maintained the single-digit lead for the majority of the second half. They led by eight points, 47-39, after a three-point play by sophomore Kimberly Moynihan (West Hartford, CT). She would match her career high with 15 points in the game.

Bates rallied to tie the score at 52-all after a three-point play by Beckwith capped a 13-5 spurt at 6:31. Five different Bobcats scored points during the stretch. Bates would take the lead twice when senior captain Katie Franklin (New Preston, CT) hit three-pointers that put the visitors ahead 57-56 and 60-58 at the 3:52 mark. Tufts then scored the next nine points and finished the game with a 12-4 run to earn the clutch win.

Krah and Moynihan both netted three three-pointers apiece as Tufts hit seven overall for their second-best output of the year from beyond the arc. Their 10 turnovers was also their second-best performance of the season in that category.

Bates dominated the boards, 53-37, led by 13 rebounds to go with 14 points from junior Matia Kostakis (Andover, MA). Barton and Beckwith each added eight rebounds to their double-digit scoring. Barton recorded 14 points and three steals, while Beckwith finished at 12 points.

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