It was a familiar scene at halftime for the Jumbos on Tuesday night, as they entered intermission with the lead for the third straight game this season.
But this time, instead of building on that lead and pulling away with an easy win, they watched it nearly slip away, hanging on for a 65-61 victory over Babson in the last 30 seconds of the game. It was Babson's third loss to a NESCAC team this season.
Tufts built a 32-23 lead heading into halftime, after a 13-4 run propelled it to a 25-16 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the first frame.
"A good start in any game is great," said senior Valerie Krah, who contributed nine of her game-high 19 points during the run. "It really gets the ball rolling and helps us pick up our energy and puts the game in our hands."
The Jumbos continued their aggressive play in the second half and increased their lead to 17 with 12 minutes remaining, but for the first time this season, they faltered in the final minutes, allowing Babson to sneak back into the game. Led by junior Caitlin Boulier, who recorded 15 of her 19 points in the second half, the Beavers whittled down the lead, with a little help from 12 second-half Tufts turnovers that yielded 12 points for the Beavers. With 31 seconds remaining, a jumper by senior forward Suzy Ward, who scored 15 points on the game, brought the Beavers within one.
"I think it was a combination of things," Berube said. "I think Babson was playing very hard, and they were very aggressive. I think we lost our focus a little bit with some turnovers and were not taking the best shots. Defensively we broke down a little bit."
But Ward turned around and committed a foul on the defensive side, sending junior Jenna Gomez to the line for two freebies and handing Tufts a three-point advantage. A missed three-pointer by Boulier and a subsequent foul shot by Tufts senior point guard Taryn Miller-Stevens sealed the squad's third victory of the season.
"I think the most important thing for us to do is to put two good halves of basketball together," Krah said. "We usually come out very strong, and we need to minimize our lulls in the game."
As has become the norm during the four-year tenure of coach Carla Berube, defense buoyed Tufts' offensive outburst in the first frame. The Jumbos held the Beavers to just 18.5 percent shooting in the first half, but Babson's advantage in free throws kept it in the game. Tufts took 23 free throws compared to Babson's 33, but the Beavers shot 79 percent from the charity stripe as opposed to Tufts' 52 percent. Also indicative of the second-half lapse, the Jumbos turned the ball over 20 times with 12 second-half turnovers.
On the offensive side, a double-punch of strong post play and some outside sharpshooting that propelled the team to victory. Led by junior Khalilah Ummah's 10 points and four rebounds off the bench, Berube's team dominated the paint with a 16-6 point spread. Gomez also finished with finished with a double-double - 10 points and 13 rebounds - while senior co-captain Libby Park notched seven points and nine rebounds. Krah's 19 points were the most from a Tufts guard this season and created an outside complement to the Jumbos' inside threat.
The most glaring discrepancy in the offensive statistic was field goal percentage - the Jumbos shot 42 percent from the field, compared to the 28 percent of the Beavers.
The Jumbos are off until next Tuesday, when they travel to Salem State to take on the Vikings, who are currently undefeated at 3-0. Tufts will be looking to use the momentum from its three-straight victories to beat another non-conference opponent.
