The 2006-07 campaign might already go down as the best season in the history of Tufts women's basketball.
The team posted its best-ever showing in conference play, breezing to an 8-1 regular season conference mark, and won its first-ever NESCAC tournament game.
But there's still more work to be done.
With a 17-7 overall record, the Jumbos are just two wins shy of the program record for wins in a season, set by the 1986-87 squad. Any luck this weekend, and the team will tie that record on Sunday.
Tufts will be looking for a shot at the NESCAC crown tomorrow in its semi-final showdown with No. 3 seeded Bates, owners of a 15-9 overall record, and 6-3 mark in the conference.
The two teams squared-off on Jan. 20, when the Jumbos used a late 9-0 run to earn a 72-64 victory. The teams were evenly-matched throughout the contest, though, as the Jumbos led at the half by just five. The Bobcats would not cow-tow to the Jumbos' defense, and ultimately battled back to grab a two-point lead with just under four minutes remaining in the game. But senior guard Valerie Krah, and junior forward Jenna Gomez, who notched a career high 17 points on the day, took over down the stretch for the Jumbos, handing their team a hefty padding.
The differences on that afternoon - defense and depth - will likely be crucial this weekend. Both teams shot above 40 percent during the game, which kept the game close, but the Jumbos' always-present pressure defense forced the Bobcats to commit 21 turnovers, which led to 21 points at the other end.
With solid performances off the bench - sophomore Kim Moynihan had 15 points in the game and junior Khalilah Ummah was, as always, a presence on the block - Tufts has just the tools to run the Bobcats into the ground.
"I think it is very important, especially with the style of Bates, where we are running a lot, just to give people breaks," coach Carla Berube said. "Both Khalilah and Kim give us offense off the bench and give us a great spark and we will definitely be looking for that [tomorrow]."
As the bench provides such versatility, the Jumbos have not had to rely on one go-to player. The team has been progressing in its offensive sets together, and hopes that it will see the fruits of its labor this weekend.
"In our offense, we have been getting better at executing our [offensive sets]," senior co-captain Laura Jasinski said. "We know each others' tendencies and have been playing together for so long that when our offense breaks down we can find a way to score."
This will be no easy task for the Jumbos, however, as Bates rebounded from a 78-47 drubbing at the hands of Bowdoin in its final regular season game on Feb. 10 to beat Amherst by 10 points in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament on Saturday.
This weekend's clash will be a match-up of two different styles. The Jumbos pride themselves on their defense, and are third in the conference in points allowed. Bates, however, is one of the best offensive teams in the league, as it is second in the NESCAC with 67.5 points per game. The Jumbos will have to contend with the third-best scorer in the league, sophomore Val Beckwith, who averaged 17.2 points per game in the regular season. The Bobcats also boast the top rebounder in the league, junior Matia Kostakis, and the leader in assists, junior Sarah Barton.
"I think they are a good defensive team," Berube said. "They definitely lack a little height inside and play a lot of players out on the perimeter, which can hopefully give us some easier baskets inside. They push the ball very well, and have the best point guard in the conference in Sarah Barton, so we need to slow her down and stop the break because they run well. Our transition defense will be key and containing Barton on break."
With all of Bates' offensive weapons, this game will likely come down to the wire. Tufts will look for Krah to provide the scoring punch from the outside as she has all season, with Jasinski, Ummah and senior co-captain Libby Park patrolling the paint.
"I think the key will be playing solid help defense and boxing out for rebounds," Krah said. "As a team we have discussed the importance of executing our offense and taking it one possession at a time and not getting ahead of ourselves."
The winner gets a spot in the final, and a chance to become the first team other than Bowdoin to claim the conference championship in the seven-year history of the tournament.
