The women's basketball team will host Conn. College tomorrow afternoon in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. The Jumbos finished the regular season with records of 19−5 overall and 8−2 in conference, earning the second seed in the tournament and the home−court advantage through at least the semifinals.
The Camels will be making their first−ever tournament appearance, and they enter the contest having lost their last two games of the regular season to drop their final record to 16−6 and 5−5 in conference. The last time these two squads squared off on Jan. 21, the Jumbos dominated the Camels 51−21, allowing their lowest point total since 2002 in one of their finest defensive performances of the year. Tufts held Conn. College to just 12.8 percent shooting from the field and forced 24 turnovers.
"We went into the last Conn. College game really fired up and we really wanted to focus on our defense," said senior co−captain forward Kate Barnosky, who led Tufts in the regular season with nine points per game. "We set the tone right from the start."
Leading the way for the Jumbos during the regular season were their two seniors: Barnosky and guard Tiffany Kornegay. Kornegay, a favorite to win the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year award, is third in the conference in rebounds, averaging 8.5 per game. She also averages nearly eight points, three assists, and two steals per game. Barnosky has also been versatile, averaging nine points, six rebounds, and two assists during the regular season while successfully defending much taller players in the paint.
While the Jumbos have had many great individual performances throughout the season, it is their teamwork, both offensively and defensively, that has been the key to success. It begins on the defensive end, where Tufts has held opponents to 45.4 points per game — just 0.4 points off of Amherst's conference−leading mark — while forcing teams to commit almost 19 turnovers per contest.
Although the Jumbos' lack of height was expected to be a major obstacle at the start of the season, their stifling team defense coupled with the emergence of freshman center Hayley Kanner — who leads the NESCAC with almost two blocks per game — helped them become a defensive force to be reckoned with. Offensively, the Jumbos maintain a balanced scoring unit that features eight players who averaged six or more points per game.
On Saturday, it will be crucial for the Jumbos to bring the same energy they did in their first matchup with the Camels.
"I think we just need to come out just as intense as we did last time," Barnosky said. "We need to continue to execute in our offensive system and attack a lot."
Another key for the Jumbos will be their ability to contain Conn. College's inside−out combination of sophomore forward Tara Gabelman and senior guard Jenn Shinall. The two stars rank second and third in the NESCAC in scoring, averaging a combined 29.1 points per game.
In January, the Jumbos did a remarkable job shutting the pair down, holding the duo to 12 total points. Kornegay was phenomenal, holding Shinall to four points and three turnovers on 12.5 percent shooting.
"We were able to shut down Shinall, and [Kate Barnosky] did a great job on Gabelman," junior co−captain guard Bre Dufault said. "We need to avoid any breakdowns and continue to play hard this game too."
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the semifinals against the winner of the first−round matchup between Bowdoin and Wesleyan. In the regular season, the Jumbos suffered a heartbreaking one−point loss against the Polar Bears, and Carla Berube's squad is eager to get a second chance against Bowdoin — not to mention another crack at undefeated No. 1 Amherst, a team Tufts could meet in the finals.
For now, though, they must focus on beating the Camels.
"We need to come in and play hard," Dufault said. "This is their first NESCAC tournament game, so they are going to come in with a lot of fire, and we need to be ready to fight right from the beginning."
