Coach Carla Berube's team doesn't have time to feel sorry for itself. The season will only get tougher.
A devastating last-second loss at the hands of the Wheaton Lyons on Tuesday evening left the Jumbos reeling, forcing them to pick up the pieces over the last couple of days. After hitting some unstable terrain over the winter break, it was smooth sailing for a week and half until Tufts hit rock bottom against Wheaton.
And it couldn't have happened at a worse time.
The squad will undoubtedly face its toughest stretch over the next two-and-a-half-weeks. With six games left on the schedule, this is the time of year that will make or break a team - especially since all six games are against NESCAC opponents.
The 11-6 Jumbos boast a perfect 3-0 record in conference play, but their spot alongside Bowdoin at the top of the league will be in jeopardy this weekend when they host Conn. College this evening and square-off against Wesleyan in a Saturday matinee.
"It's conference games from here on out," Berube said. "The team knows what each conference game means, so I'm sure we'll be ready [tonight]. So far we look pretty good in the conference being 3-0, and the goal is to be 4-0 on Friday and 5-0 on Saturday. I'm confident that we'll bounce back from this."
The squad should have a little leeway to work with tonight, as the Camels have not been particularly impressive in the 2006-2007 season, posting a mediocre 9-8 record and dropping all three conference games.
Still, if the game against Wheaton is any indicator, Tufts cannot be complacent against an arguably inferior team.
"We've actually had a hard time with the weaker teams this year," sophomore Kim Moynihan said. "I think we need to go into the Conn. College game and really destroy them. We need to dominate and just bring out a huge lead. Twenty points is just not going to do it [tonight]. Yeah, they're not that good, but I think we need to just really work on everything and make sure we're running smoothly."
"What we have to remember is not to play down," junior Jenna Gomez added. "When we play bad teams, we usually play down to the level of that team. So we just have to remember that we need to go out and get pissed off, dominate and just take over."
It may be more difficult to dominate in tomorrow's showdown with Wesleyan, however. Despite falling to Amherst on Jan. 16, the Cardinals have amassed a comparable overall record to the Jumbos, and are near the top of the league in most offensive categories, most notably field goal percentage, at 41.9 percent.
But in keeping with the tradition of the Berube era, Tufts' pesky defense has lifted it to the head of the league in most defensive categories, making for an interesting match-up.
"I'm sure it will be a tough game," Berube said. "I've seen and watched a little bit of them so far, and they're tough. They've got some great offensive players and they execute well, so I think both games will be tough and we'll be ready. It's nice to get a couple home games here and that will be to our advantage, I think. We'll be ready to bounce back."
If the Jumbos are in fact ready to rebound they will need help from the key component that has brought them this far: strength and physicality under the hoop. The crew squandered its inside advantage on Tuesday evening, letting the Lyons hang around far too long. In order to walk away from this weekend with its flawless NESCAC record intact, the team will have to capitalize on the double-edged sword of dominance on the boards and behind the arc that characterized its earlier wins.
Perennially a guard-heavy team, Tufts has relied on senior co-captains Libby Park and Laura Jasinski as well as some inspired play from junior Khalilah Ummah at the block this season, which has translated into more success on the offensive end.
But if the Camels or the Cardinals converge on the inside, senior Valerie Krah, who sunk three treys on Tuesday night to propel her team to a 33-29 halftime lead, will be waiting behind the arc. Krah is just five three-pointers away from tying the Jumbo all-time mark of 126 set by Carrie Hironaka during her career from 1995-99.
