Rhode Island College came out on top Tuesday night in a battle between teams that had each won 17 of their last 18 games, snapping the Jumbos' six−game winning streak with a 62−41 victory.
The visiting Jumbos, who fell to 17−4 overall, never established a rhythm offensively, shooting 23.2 percent overall and a dismal 1−of−18 from three−point range. They also committed 18 turnovers.
"To the credit of Rhode Island, they completely took us out of our game," said co−captain forward Kate Barnosky, a senior, who led Tufts with 11 points. "We knew they were going to be good and we didn't go into the game lightly, but we didn't have the intensity we usually have."
Even more surprisingly, the Jumbos struggled on defense, an area where they have dominated opponents all season long. The Anchorwomen scored 62 points on 40 percent shooting, marking the first time Tufts has allowed over 60 points since the second game of the season on Nov. 20. Tufts surrendered 24 points in the paint and 11 on the fast break, both uncharacteristically high totals for a typically stifling defense.
"Basically, tonight we didn't come out with what coach calls ‘Jumbo basketball pride,'" junior co−captain guard Bre Dufault said. "We really didn't play with the heart and the fire, and we really didn't take it to them the way we needed to."
Leading the way for the Anchorwomen was senior forward Rachel Riley, who recorded 15 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Senior guard Cynthia Gaudet also scored 15 points to go along with six assists and three steals.
The Jumbos were limited to 22 points in the paint and four second−chance points, both below their season averages. Senior guard Tiffany Kornegay still managed a well−rounded performance, contributing six points, eight rebounds, one block and one steal.
Coming off the tough road loss, Tufts will look to rebound this weekend in their final NESCAC doubleheader of the regular season. On Friday, the Jumbos will host a struggling Trinity squad, and follow it up Saturday with a highly anticipated showdown against Amherst. The Lord Jeffs are ranked number one in the country and are the defending national champions. With a win, the Jumbos would pull into a tie for first place in the conference and would own the head−to−head tiebreaker advantage.
But victory will be a tall task. The Lord Jeffs lead the NESCAC in almost every statistical category, including scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, defensive field goal percentage and three−point shooting.
Like Tufts, one of Amherst's keys to success is a balanced offensive attack, including four players who average double−digit points. The Lord Jeffs' most dangerous offensive threat is senior co−captain Caroline Stedman, a 2011 All−NESCAC second−team selection who ranks fifth in the conference with 14.1 points per game and sixth in blocks. Freshman forward Megan Robertson also plays an integral role off the bench, averaging 11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds.
For the Jumbos to be competitive on Saturday, they will need to return to their regular style of play, consisting of gritty defense and smart shot selection on the offensive end.
"Both games this weekend we need to play our absolute best," Barnosky said. "We have a balanced attack to counterattack Amherst. We need to play great defense and take it to them right from the start."
