Balanced attack leads Tufts past Brandeis in season opener

On Saturday, Tufts took the short half-hour road trip to Waltham, Mass. to open the season against then-undefeated Brandeis University. After four quarters of play, the No. 3 Jumbos emerged with their first win of the season, 69-52.

The performance from Tufts did not come without some mishaps and a little rust to shake off as the team took to the court for the first time this season. While coach Carla Berube and the Jumbos have a list of things they want to improve upon for upcoming games, a 17-point win over an undefeated opponent -- especially one that has already played three games -- proves the team is ready to compete this season.

"I mean coming out, it being our first game, we definitely had some jitters in the first half and some kinks we had to work out," junior center Michela North said. "But definitely in the second half we picked up our offense, and having a lot of people score, our scoring all-around shows we have a pretty deep bench, and everyone has the talent and capability to score. We just need to figure out how to best use that and figure out the best lineups that work."

If the first game serves as an indicator, this year's Tufts team will see scoring contributions from anyone who takes the floor. All players who entered the game Saturday scored for the Jumbos, and four players -- senior guard Emma Roberson, junior forward Katy Hicks, who scored a career-high 11 points, sophomore point guard Lauren Dillon and North -- put up double digits. Although it was a slow start for Tufts and Brandeis on offense, both teams started getting hot from beyond the arc in the rest of the first quarter.

Tufts started senior guard Michelle Wu, sophomore forward Melissa Baptista, North, Dillon and Roberson. The opening minutes consisted of steals, turnovers and missed shots for both teams. The scoreboard was blank until Brandeis sophomore guard Paris Hodges put her team up first with a 3-pointer at the 7:37 mark.

Tufts junior guard Josie Lee, whose eligibility was in question during the last week of practice due to an injury, subbed in for Wu just before the game's first points were scored. Lee missed her first two shot attempts after entering the game, while Brandeis hit home on another try from beyond the arc, this time from senior guard Niki Laskaris. Dillon finally broke the scoring drought for Tufts almost halfway through the first period with a 3-pointer of her own.

Over the rest of the quarter, the Jumbos were able to build a comfortable lead that they would not forfeit for the remainder of the game. Roberson converted on a jump shot and then knotted the game at 8-8 with a 3 after a steal and assist from Lee. Hicks, who subbed in for Baptista after early foul trouble, traded made baskets twice with Dillon as the pair combined for 11 points in a two-minute span. A North jump shot and two free throws from Brandeis capped off a 16-4 run from Tufts and ended the first quarter with the score 21-12 Jumbos.

Even after only a quarter, it was evident that the Tufts offense was at its best when the team was sharing the ball and everyone was stepping up. That depth and ability all the way down the Tufts bench will give it an advantage against opponents who will not be able to stop every scoring threat the team presents.

"I think, especially in comparison to last year, it's a much more balanced team, and we knew that going in," Dillon said. "We knew we'd all need to partake in the scoring. We don't have one superstar and we never have ... There was not one person we could really go to; we just all needed to do it together."

A relatively quiet second quarter saw the Judges narrow the gap to seven points heading into halftime. First-year forward Katie Martensen scored her first collegiate points on a jump shot right as the period began, but the Jumbos' scoring as a whole was sporadic in the first half. Missed shots and turnovers hurt offensive production.

"Getting together at halftime, we all talked about it," Dillon said. "We had our shots, and we just needed to make them and just be confident in ourselves."

While it took the Jumbos until the last minutes of the fourth quarter to really put the game out of reach for the Judges, the visitors, a team so invested in playing strong defense first and foremost, were able to stave off any comeback attempts from the hosts. In times of offensive struggles, the Jumbos relied on their defensive prowess to create offensive opportunities. They outscored the Judges 25-14 on points off turnovers.

"We pride ourselves on defense, and we work on defense every single day, so being able to turn those steals and turnovers on Brandeis' part into points for us is definitely helpful, and I think that's one of our stronger assets, defense," North said. "If we keep that solid, we know we'll get points on offense. Defense first and then the offense will come."

Brandeis clawed back to within six points by the fourth quarter after a 3-pointer from junior Heather Cain, but layups from Lee and Roberson pushed the Tufts lead back to 10. Three layups in a row from North started to spell the end for Brandeis, but the Judges tried to foul, send the Jumbos to the free throw line and slow the game down.

While the Jumbos shot under50 percent from the free throw line on the game, a number they will definitely hope to improve upon, they were effective enough to shut down any hopes of a Judges comeback.

First-year guard Jacqueline Knapp also scored her first points as a Jumbo during the fourth quarter. North ended the game with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Tufts was outrebounded 34-32 by Brandeis but held a 26-16 advantage in points in the paint. Though the Jumbos forced a lot of turnovers, they also committed 20 themselves.

"We can hit our shots, we can not hit our shots, but at the end of the day we'll always play good defense, and that's what our coach expects of us," Dillon said. "I think that stayed true to this game. We didn't let up a lot of points, and even when we had a bad offensive play, we all got back on defense and worked hard."

Tufts is looking forward to a chance to refine its game and make adjustments. The team's first home game will be against undefeated Eastern Connecticut State University. It should prove to be a tough matchup as well, but Tufts got the job done against Brandeis and came away with a win. When it was able to execute, slow down and play its game, it was effective.

"What our coach was saying after the game is it's a good start," Dillon said. "Like, we got a win against a good team, but we had like a B/B- game. We have so much more to grow and so much to learn from this game. Especially even before Tuesday, I think we can get a lot better, and I think you'll see that we'll play a lot better offense. We're still working on our offense, and we can always get better on defense. I think it's a good start, you know, we have to start somewhere and the first game is always tough, but we have a lot more potential to live up to."