Teams: Women's Basketball: Schedule & Results

WHEATON WOMEN BEAT TUFTS AT THE BUZZER AGAIN

COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Wheaton 63    Tufts 62

At Medford
Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Game Statistics

Valerie Krah is now five three-pointers shy of tying the Tufts all-time mark

MEDFORD -- Wheaton College senior Kim McCormack (Milton, MA) beat the buzzer with a lay-up off a pass from junior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT) to give the visiting Lyons a dramatic 63-62 win at Tufts University in non-conference women's basketball action on Tuesday night at Cousens Gym.

The game marked the second straight year that Wheaton defeated Tufts in the last second. Last year, Aitchison took an in-bounds pass with just over a second showing on the clock and launched a three-pointer that gave Wheaton a 62-59 victory. Tuesday night's heroics gave the Lyons (11-6) their seventh win in the last eight games. Sophomore Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH) led the visitors with a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds.

Tufts (11-6) lost for the first time in five games. Senior Valerie Krah (Mountain Lakes, NJ) scored 17 points and junior Khalilah Ummah (Litchfield, ME) added 15 points and eight rebounds.

The game was tightly contested throughout. Four times the Jumbos led by seven points, and those were the largest margins. The latest occasion was 47-40 after two free throws by senior co-captain Laura Jasinski (Leverett, MA) at 10:45 of the second half. However, Wheaton answered with a 10-2 rally to lead 50-49 on Hickey's jumper at 7:46. She had six points overall during the run.

A lay-up by Ummah at 6:35 gave the Jumbos a lead that they would hold by a slim margin for the next three minutes. Then a three-pointer by Wheaton's Bri Smith (Westford, MA) tied the score at 58-58 with 2:35 on the clock. Wheaton had four chances during one possession to take the lead, but eventually turned the ball over. Taryn Miller-Stevens (Avon, CT) scored a lay-up to put Tufts back on top 60-58, but Hickey nailed a huge three on the Lyons' next trip down the floor and it was 61-60 Wheaton heading into the final minute.

A Tufts miss followed by a Wheaton turnover led to Krah's swooping lay-up with nine seconds remaining that put Tufts ahead 62-61. Wheaton called time out with six seconds left. As time ran down, Aitchison dropped a pass to a wide-open McCormack, and her lay-up fell through the twine as the buzzer sounded to win it for Wheaton.

The Lyons, who trailed 33-29 at the half, finished an impressive 7 for 11 from three-point territory (63.6 percent) and were a decent 45.3 percent from the floor overall (24/53). Smith finished with 10 points to complement Wheaton's attack, and Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY) added five assists and three steals.

With three three-pointers, Krah is now five shy of tying the Tufts all-time mark of 126 set by Carrie Hironaka from 1995-99. Jasinski had nine points and nine rebounds in the game.

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