Teams: Women's Basketball: Press Releases

DESPITE TUFTS LOSS, HART IS CHOSEN AS NESCAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Colleen Hart made eight of her 10 three-point attempts at Kean on Saturday night

MEDFORD -- Despite the Tufts University women's basketball team's loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, junior guard Colleen Hart's (Needham, MA) outstanding performance during the regional round has been recognized by the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Hart earned her third NESCAC Player of the Week honor of the 2009-10 season.

With the Jumbos playing at the Kean, New Jersey Regional, Hart scored 26 points in an opening round win against Muhlenberg on Friday night. She topped that with 28 points in a loss to the host Cougars in the second round on Saturday night. She knocked down eight of 10 three-point attempts against Kean, helping the Jumbos stick with the #2 team in the country for three-quarters of the contest.

Playing 78 out of a possible 80 minutes in the two games, Hart shot 11 for 17 (64.7 percent) from three-point territory overall. She was 19 for 37 (51.3 percent) from the floor in total, made five of six free throws, and added averages of 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.

Against Muhlenberg, a 71-59 victory, Hart had 14 points (five for eight FGs) in the second half as the Jumbos put the Mules away. When Muhlenberg pulled to within 50-45 with 11 minutes remaining in the second half, Hart scored consecutive baskets to push the Jumbo advantage to 54-45 at 9:46. The win marked the third straight year that Tufts opened NCAA Tournament play with a victory. With her 13 points leading the way in the first half against Kean, Tufts trailed just 29-28 at the half. She was a perfect five for five on three-pointers in the second half, but a talented Kean team pulled away for a 75-56 win.

With the strong finish to the 2009-10 season, Hart's 468 points scored this year is the second-best total in team history. Her 17.3 points per game average leads the conference for games played through March 6. She finished the season with 83 three-pointers, improving her career total to 192, both marks which obliterate previous Tufts records of 57 for a season and 139 for a career.

Named All-NESCAC First Team for the second straight season recently, Hart previously earned Conference Player of the Week honors on November 23 and December 13. This is the fifth weekly honor of the season for Coach Carla Berube's team, including two won by senior forward Julia Baily (Farmington, CT). Hart was selected this week's recipient despite three other NESCAC teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament "Sweet 16."

Hart is sixth on the Tufts all-time scoring list with 1,134 points and a season remaining.

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