Teams: Women's Basketball: Schedule & Results

COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Tufts 73, Simmons 35

At Boston, MA
Thursday, December 6, 2007

Game Statistics

Co-captain Jenna Gomez had eight points, three assists and three steals in Tufts' 38-point victory

BOSTON -- After shaking off a slow start, the Tufts University women�s basketball team quickly rebounded to cruise to a 73-35 win over Simmons College in a non-league game on Thursday night. The win improves Tufts to 8-0, matching their best start to a season since 1990-91. The Jumbos will attempt to break the record on Saturday when they travel to Wellesley College for the last game of the first semester.

On Thursday night, the host Sharks (2-4) raced out to a 7-0 lead, including five points by Lauren Kreckie. Tufts coach Carla Berube called a quick time-out for the Jumbos, and the rest of the game would belong to the visitors. Tufts scored the next 10 points to lead 10-7 on a jumper by sophomore Julia Baily (Farmington, CT). Simmons stayed in the game for the first 12 minutes. The margin was five points for Tufts at 16-11 after a jumper by Stephanie Murray of Simmons, and the score was 22-12 Tufts following a Simmons free throw by Kristina Nardone at 8:19.

The Jumbos blew the game open from there. A 15-4 Tufts run pushed the lead to 21 points, 37-16, on a jumper by junior Katie Tausanovitch (Lyme, NH) with one minute until halftime. Tufts led 37-19 at the break after Simmons' Sarah Clayton netted a three-pointer.

Tufts senior co-captain Khalilah Ummah (Litchfield, ME) scored the first basket of the second half to build the lead to 20 points (39-19), and it grew from there. The margin hit 31 points after a jumper by first-year point guard Colleen Hart (Needham, MA) at 11:50 of the second half. The lead was 40 points, 71-31, on a jumper by Katie Puishys (Huntington Beach, CA) at 4:30 and topped out at 41 (72-31) on a free throw by first-year Shannon Robinson (Foxborough, MA) at 2:23.

The Jumbos had a balanced scoring attack led by Baily with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Hart chipped in with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists. Senior co-captain Jenna Gomez (Norfolk, MA) added eight points and sophomore Katie Wholey (Marshfield, MA) had seven. The 35 points allowed by the Jumbos are the fewest since a 58-35 NESCAC win over Connecticut College on January 28, 2006. Tonight they held Simmons to 25-percent shooting (14/56) and won the rebounding battle 48-33. The Jumbos had 19 assists on 31 baskets.

Morgan Johnson paced Simmons with 10 points and added two blocks. Lauren Kreckie added seven points, six rebounds and three steals.

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