Women's Basketball Edged by 10th Ranked Tufts, 67-66

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Tufts University women's basketball team used a 14-0 run to overcome an eight-point second half deficit as the tenth-ranked Jumbos edged host Bridgewater State University, 67-66, on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

Tufts, ranked tenth in the D3hoops.com poll and 11th in the USA Today Sports Division III poll, remains unbeaten on the season as the Jumbos improve to 9-0.  Bridgewater, playing in its first home game of the season, slips to 6-2.

Junior forward Liz Moynihan (Storrs, Conn.) came off the bench to pace the visitors with 20 points, five rebounds and four steals in 29 minutes of action.  Moynihan was 6-for-10 from the floor including 2-for-2 from behind the arc.  Senior forward Kate Barnosky (Huntington Station, N.Y.) added 13 points, seven boards and six assists for the Jumbos, while sophomore guard Hannah Foley (Acton, Mass.) chipped in with 15 points.

Junior guard Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) led the way for Bridgewater State as she poured in a game-high 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting.  Williamson knocked down 4 of 6 three-point attempts and recorded two blocks and a pair of steals.  Junior guard Colleen Hanscom (Melrose, Mass.) added 14 points, nine rebounds and two steals, while junior forward Megan Boutilette (Charlton, Mass.) finished with 14 points, eight boards, three assists, three blocks and two steals.

Bridgewater led 35-29 at the break and increased their advantage to eight points (49-41) on a traditional three-point play by sophomore guard Rachel Kusz (Worcester, Mass.) with 12:01 remaining in the second half.  The Jumbos then went on their 14-0 run and held the Bears scoreless over the next five minutes to take a 55-49 lead.  Moynihan and Foley each had five points during the run including back-to-back trifectas which gave Tufts its first lead since early in the opening stanza.

The Jumbos would increase their advantage to eight (64-56) on a pair of Moynihan free throws with 2:36 left on the clock.  Hanscom responded with a three-pointer to make it a five-point game. Foley would convert on the front end of a two foul shot on the Jumbos ensuing possession, and Boutilette would answer at the other end of the floor for the Bears by knocking down a pair of free throws to pull Bridgewater to within four at 65-61 with 1:16 remaining.

A missed layup by Barnosky and a missed three with the shot clock winding down by Foley gave the Bears a chance to cut into the deficit.  Boutilette would do just that as she connected on a layup off a nice feed from senior guard Michaela Cosby (Walpole, Mass.) to make it a two-point game (65-63) with 36 seconds left.  Barnosky, however, made a driving layup with just eight seconds on the clock to seal the victory for the Jumbos.  A Cosby three-pointer, her second of the game and of her career, as time expired accounted for the final tally of 67-66.

Cosby finished with eight points, six assists and three rebounds for the Bears who shot 47.1% (24-for-51) from the floor and 53.3% (8-for-15) from behind the arc.  Bridgewater, however, turned the ball over 23 times and was outrebounded on the offensive glass, 16-8.

Tufts, which gave up 60 or more points for the first time this season, converted on 37.9% off its field goal attempts and finished 6-for-19 (31.6%) from three-point range.  Moynihan and the Jumbos' bench outscored the BSU reserves, 26-3.

Both teams will have a bit of a break before getting back to action.  Tufts will travel to Connecticut College on December 31st for a two o'clock game with the Camels.  Bridgewater will take on Eastern Connecticut State University on New Year's Day at one o'clock in the semifinals of the Hampton Inn West Springfield/Naismith Classic hosted by Springfield College.