Teams: Women's Basketball: Schedule & Results

COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Tufts 83, Williams 62

At Medford, MA
Friday, January 16, 2009

Game Statistics

Senior Katie Tausanovitch had 12 points and 8 rebounds

MEDFORD -- Sophomore guard Colleen Hart (Needham, MA) scored 16 points with nine assists to lead the #12 ranked Tufts University women's basketball team to an 83-62 victory against Williams College in the NESCAC opener for both squads on Friday night at Cousens Gym.

Hart hit on four of five three-point attempts, including three in the first half when the Jumbos took a double-digit lead. Junior Julia Baily (Farmington, CT) added a double-double to the Tufts effort, scoring 14 points with 12 rebounds. The Jumbos won for the seventh straight game, improving to 10-1 overall.

Williams (5-10, 0-1 NESCAC) received an outstanding game from sophomore Jessica Harris (Cortland Manor, NY), who finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Senior tri-captain Mika Peterman (Los Altos, CA) had 14 points for the Ephs. The loss was their fourth in a row.

Tufts was up 14-3 five and a half minutes into the game. They got points from six different players during the opening run, including threes by Hart and senior co-captain Kim Moynihan (West Hartford, CT). After Williams baskets by sophomore Taylor Shea (Allendale, NJ) and Peterman cut the gap to 14-7, the Jumbos built the lead to 17 points to take charge. They scored 10 straight points and led 24-7 on a basket by first-year Rachel Figaro (Windham, NH) at the nine-minute mark. The Ephs closed to within 11 (28-17) behind six points from Harris, but two three-pointers by Hart helped push the Tufts lead back up to 16 (40-24) at the break.

The Jumbos received points from nine different players while jumping to their halftime lead. Hart led the way with nine and also added six first-half assists. The Jumbos forced 15 Williams turnovers in the first 20 minutes, with Figaro coming up with four steals. Harris, with 12 points, had half of the Ephs' total at intermission.

Tufts maintained its healthy advantage in the second half, going up by 20 on a lay-up by senior Katie Tausanovitch (Lyme, NH) that made it 48-28 two minutes into the period. The closest Williams would get was 16 points, 53-37, after a three-pointer by Peterman and a free throw by Harris with 14:48 remaining. The Tufts advantage got as high as 25 points, 79-54, following two free throws by junior Casey Sullivan (Berlin, CT) with 4:50 to play. The Jumbos cruised to the finish line, with all 17 players on the roster getting into the game.

Tufts finished at 51.5 percent shooting (35/68), including six for nine from three-point land. They had 22 assists and 14 steals in the game, as the Ephs finished with 23 turnovers. Figaro contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and five steals in total, while Tausanovitch scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Sullivan's 10 points matched her season high.

Williams hit at just 32.8 percent from the floor (22/67), including five for 18 from beyond the arch (27.8 percent). They battled with the Jumbos on the boards, falling just short overall with a 42-41 final count, but pulling down 20 offensive rebounds to 13 for Tufts. Shea (11 points, 12 rebounds) joined Harris in recording a double-double for the visitors.

The Ephs had won five out of the last seven and nine of the last 13 contests between the teams.

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