Teams: Women's Basketball: Schedule & Results

COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Colby 58, Tufts 55

At Waterville, ME
Friday, January 23, 2009

Game Statistics

First-year Rachel Figaro finished with eight points and nine rebounds off the bench

WATERVILLE, Me. -- First-year Rachael Mack (Augusta, ME), who had game-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds, went four for four from the foul line in the final 22 seconds as the Colby College women�s basketball team upset 11th-ranked Tufts University, 58-55, on Friday night at Wadsworth Gymnasium.

The Mules improve to 9-6 overall and 1-1 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Tufts falls to 12-2 overall and 2-1 in the league.

Mack was 11 for 11 from the foul line and improved her season total to 86 percent (43 for 50) shooting from the line. Colby twice ran out-of-bounds plays to get Mack the ball to take advantage of her excellent free throw shooting. She did not disappoint with four straight swishes, the first two with 22 seconds left for a 56-52 lead. However, Tufts cut the lead to 56-55 when sophomore Colleen Hart (Needham, MA) hit a three-point shot from the top of the key with 14.8 seconds remaining. Mack went back to the foul line with 12 seconds left and calmly sank two more shots for a 58-55 margin. Tufts had two three-point shot opportunities in the final seconds that missed.

The Jumbos and the Mules went back-and-forth in the first half before Colby pulled away for a 23-16 lead with 2:45 to play. However, Tufts stormed back behind six points from junior Casey Sullivan (Berlin, CT) to use a 10-2 run to take a 26-25 margin at halftime.

Tufts stayed hot early in the second half and went up 40-29 when Sullivan nailed a jumper with 15 minutes to play. The Mules picked away at the lead and finally tied the game at 46-46 when Mack scored on a three-point play with 4:33 to go. Colby held Tufts to just six points in more than 10 minutes of play during that stretch.

Tufts took its last lead of the game when first-year Rachel Figaro (Windham, NH) scored inside for a 50-48 lead with 3:05 to play. Alison Cappelloni (Sudbury, MA) hit a pair of free throws for the Mules with 2:41 to play and Mary Cummings (Summit, NJ) nailed a jumper with 2:08 to play for a 52-50 Mule lead. The Jumbos tied the game again at 52-52 when senior Katie Tausanovitch (Lyme, NH) hit a short jumper with 1:48 to play, but Julianne Kowalski (Montville, NJ) hit a pair of free throws with 47 seconds left that put Colby up for good at 54-52.

Mack also led the Mules in assists with three and steals with two. Kowalski added 10 points and five rebounds, while Cappelloni had eight points and eight rebounds. Sam Allen (Bridgton, ME) had all nine of her points in the first half for Colby and Cummings was solid with six points and a pair of assists in 26 minutes of play.

Sullivan paced Tufts with 15 points and four assists, Tausanovitch had 11 points, Figaro finished with eight points and nine rebounds and Hart had nine points and five assists. The Mules held Tufts to just 32 percent field goal shooting, but the Jumbos helped their cause with 18 offensive rebounds. Tufts played without leading scorer Julia Baily (Farmington, CT) due to a family matter.

Tufts heads to Bowdoin College tomorrow for another NESCAC game at 2 pm. Meanwhile, Colby will entertain Bates College in a NESCAC game at 3 pm.

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