March 5, 2003
Written by Elliott Wiley

McGLYNN, COUPE & POWERS HONORED BY NESCAC IN BASKETBALL

MEDFORD -- The 2002-03 Tufts University Basketball programs featured three players honored with post-season New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) awards. For the Men's Basketball team, senior guard Mike McGlynn (Medford, MA/Arlington Catholic) was named to the First Team of the All-Conference squad, while sophomore center Craig Coupe (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) made the Second Team. In Women's Basketball, freshman guard Jessica Powers (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year.

McGlynn was a Second Team All-Conference selection last season, but after his senior-year performance he earned First Team honors this year. He finished fifth in the conference in scoring with 17.0 points per game. McGlynn was sixth in the league from the free throw line, shooting 78.9 percent (71/90) and converted a league-best 68 three-pointers on the season.

Named NESCAC Player of the Week on February 10, McGlynn led the team against Keene State and in NESCAC wins at home against Bowdoin and Colby. In those contests he finished with 23, 16, and 19 points respectively.  In the 89-71 victory over Colby, McGlynn passed the 300 career three-pointers made mark, placing him in the top 20 on the all-time NCAA Division III list.

McGlynn's season-high in scoring came against Trinity College on February 1. He went 7-18 from the field, but converted all ten of his free throws en route to scoring 26 points. There was only one game out of the team's 25 when McGlynn did not reach double figures in scoring.

Coupe earned Second Team All-Conference honors after being selected as NESCAC Rookie of the Year last season. This season Coupe averaged a double-double with 13.7 points per game and 11.4 rebounds per contest. His rebound average tops the league, and is seventh in the nation, while his scoring average places him 13^th in NESCAC. Coupe was also third in the league with 1.8 blocks per game and fourth in field goal percentage, shooting 54.4 percent (136/250).

Coupe tallied 14 double-doubles over the course of the season. He pulled down a career-high of 21 rebounds at Clark on December 7 and got 20 boards at Middlebury on February 14. Coupe's season-high of 22 points came on two occassions, the first on December 9 against Plymouth State and the second at UMass Dartmouth on January 23. Couple scored in double figures in 20 of the team's contests.

The Men's Basketball program had won three straight NESCAC Rookie of the Year awards, but this season the Women's Basketball program took over the honors with Powers' selection. In her first season, Powers started all 24 games and averaged 13.5 points. Her scoring average places her ninth in the conference, while she was seventh in the NESCAC with 2.33 steals per game.

Powers led Tufts in scoring. She was second on the squad with 62 total assists and stepped her rebounding up in NESCAC play from 4.6 overall to 5.6 in nine conference games.

Powers scored a season-high of 23 points at Babson on December 3. The following game against Regis on December 5, Powers tallied 20 points, both in winning efforts. Powers had one double-double on the season as she was a monster on the boards against Trinity on February 1 to finish with 12 rebounds and 11 points.

The Men's Basketball team finished with a 12-13 record, but earned the third seed in the conference tournament with a 5-4 league record. The team advanced to the semi-finals of the NESCAC tournament before losing a heart-breaker to eventual champion Williams, 64-63.

The Women's Basketball team finished 17-7, having its best season since 1990-91 when the team also finished 17-7. The highlight of the year was its team record nine-game winning streak that spanned from a win against Emerson on November 23 to a victory over Connecticut College on January 17. The squad finished 4-5 in conference, drawing the sixth seed in the conference tournament. The Jumbos suffered a tough quarterfinal loss at Bates to end their season.

2002-03 All-NESCAC Men's Basketball Team
2002-03 All-NESCAC Women's Basketball Team

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