Monday, January 19, 2004

LOVE NAMED NESCAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN

MEDFORD – For the second time this season, junior forward Allison Love (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) of the Tufts University Women's Basketball team was named the New England Small College Athletic Conference's (NESCAC) Player of the Week. She was instrumental in a 3-0 week by the Jumbos that included two wins over teams ranked among the top 30 in the D3Hoops.com national poll. Love averaged 16.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in the three games.

Tufts defeated Emmanuel College, #28 in the poll, by 25 points on Tuesday, 91-66. Emmanuel was coming off an overtime loss to #2 Bowdoin the previous Saturday. Love had a game-high 25 points, hitting 11 of 17 shots, and grabbing seven rebounds. In the NESCAC opener at Connecticut College on Friday night, Love chipped in 11 points, six rebounds and two assists during an 86-51 victory.

The highlight of her week came on Saturday when Tufts traveled to Middletown, Connecticut to take on undefeated Wesleyan, ranked 18^th. In a tight, defensive struggle, it was Love's scoop-shot as the buzzer sounded that lifted the Jumbos to a 47-46 victory. The win ended Wesleyan's school-record, 11-game winning streak. Love had 12 points, six rebounds and two steals in the game.

The Emmanuel and Wesleyan wins should get Tufts some votes for this week's national poll. Head Coach Carla Berube's team is 8-2 overall and winners of four straight going into Tuesday night's (Jan. 20) game at Brandeis University.

Love was NESCAC Co-Player of the Week on December 8 after shooting 61.5 percent and averaging 18 points in wins over Babson and Gordon. For the year she leads Tufts and is fourth in the conference with 14.6 points per game. Her 53.1 field goal percentage (60/113) is third in NESCAC. Tufts leads the league by a wide margin with its 44.0 shooting percentage overall (298/677).

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