Senior tri-captain Liz Moynihan finished Saturday's NCAA Round-of-32 contest against the University of New England shooting 1 for 9 from the field. The one shot she converted was the game's most important: a 25-foot 3-point buzzer beater that gave her team a 57-54 overtime victory and catapulted the Jumbos into the tournament's Sweet 16 round next weekend.
"I've been working to be less of a head case, but sometimes when I'm not in a rhythm I'll look to pass up on those opportunities," Moynihan said. "Fortunately, with the clock running down and being in that spot, I didn't have much of a choice. It's all a blur now, but I think I got hit right before the shot."
In a season chock-full of victories, accomplishments and records, Moynihan's shot provided the Jumbos and the home crowd with the most thrilling moment yet. It was the shot of the year, and for Moynihan, the shot of her life.
"It was one of those times I knew exactly how much time was left on the clock and the situation," Moynihan said. "Originally, I was going to set a screen, but then the floor sort of opened up and Hayley [Kanner] and I made eye contact. Sometimes I [do not] take shots at the right time, but once I got the ball there was sort of no going back."
With the game knotted at 54 and under one minute remaining in overtime, the Jumbos worked the ball down low to sophomore guard Emma Roberson, who attacked the basket and drew a foul. With a chance to put the Jumbos ahead for the first time in the overtime period, Roberson missed on the front end of a one-and-one. UNE freshman center Alicia Brown grabbed the rebound with 34 seconds remaining on the game clock, leaving a four-second differential between shot clock and game clock.
Following a UNE timeout with 19 seconds left on the game clock, the Nor'Easters worked the ball around the perimeter, but were unable to penetrate a stifling Jumbos defense. A fantastic defensive stand culminated in a blocked shot by junior forward Hayley Kanner as the shot clock expired. With four seconds remaining in overtime , the Jumbos had to throw the ball in from the sideline. Kanner found Moynihan streaking down the center of the court and lobbed a pass in her direction. Moynihan caught it in stride, took a few dribbles and put up the game-winner just behind the 3-point line with two UNE defenders in her face. Moynihan was promptly mobbed by her teammates at center court after the shot went in.
"I still haven't started breathing yet - I'm trying," head coach Carla Berube joked. "It was an awesome game, just as a fan, to watch these teams battle. UNE brought it. They're tough and scrappy, and they defend very well. They were getting loose balls and offensive rebounds. So much credit goes to them, [and it was] such a competitive and fun game to be a part of. For us to come out on top, we feel pretty lucky."
Some would call it luck, others might say it's resiliency. The Jumbos, who have led most of their games this year wire-to-wire, trailed in the final minute of regulation and in the final minute of overtime. Each time they found a way to claw back and tie the score, and ultimately, they came out on top.
"It was just an awesome game," junior guard Kelsey Morehead said. "Everyone loves to be in these games [and] watch these games. The atmosphere is unlike anything else. It's fun when it's this competitive."
Tufts stormed out of the gate against UNE with eight unanswered points in the first two minutes of the game. But the Nor'Easters continued to play aggressively on the defensive end, getting their hands in the passing lanes, forcing turnovers and holding the Jumbos to just four points over a 12 minute stretch in the first half. A strong defense allowed the visiting team to slowly chip away at the lead, and they eventually grabbed a 15-13 lead with four minutes to go in the half.
"UNE did a great job taking us out of our game," Morehead said, who played all 45 minutes of the contest. "We struggled to find a rhythm for a large portion of that half, it was definitely tough."
Tufts would reclaim the lead and held a slight 20-19 edge heading into intermission. The second half was much like the first, as the two teams battled back-and-forth. Neither side was able to extend its lead beyond a four-point advantage. Trailing by four points with under two minutes remaining, Kanner scored on a driving layup to cut the deficit to two, and then sank two clutch free throws on the Jumbos' next possession to knot the score at 48. Tufts made stand after stand on the defensive end, including a stop on UNE's last possession of regulation to force overtime. In all, the Jumbos held the Nor-Easter's scoreless in the final 2:48 of regulation.
"This was definitely a team effort," Moynihan said. "I did hit that last-second shot, but if people hadn't stepped up and made their free throws and made big shots down the stretch, and if we didn't get defensive stops as a team, I wouldn't have been in that position to win the game."
UNE scored the first basket in the overtime session and led by as many as three points following a jumper by sophomore guard Meghan Gribbin with 1:39 remaining. Morehead then hit a huge 3-point shot on the Jumbos' next possession to tie the score at 54, before Moynihan's heroics clinched the game as time expired.
While Moynihan will receive the attention for the game-winner, Kanner may have had the game of her career Saturday. Not only did she lead the team with 16 points and 17 rebounds (for her second straight double-double), but she also tallied a game-high five blocks, two of which came at integral moments down the stretch in regulation and in overtime. Senior guard Caitlin McClure also cracked double-digits, scoring 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, and freshman guard Michela North tallied seven points and eight rebounds of her own to add to her impressive rookie resume.
Friday night's first-round contest against St. Joseph's (ME) didn't quite boast the theatrics of the weekend's second game, but ended in a Tufts victory nonetheless. St. Joseph's earned an automatic tournament bid after defeating Norwich to claim the GNAC (Great Northeast Athletic Conference) title. The Monks entered the action winners of eight straight, boasting a 23-6 overall record.
The Jumbos had their hands full for most of the game. Senior guard Mackenzie Dufour hit a 3-pointer with 5:24 remaining in the opening half to bring the Monks within three points, 20-17. But the Jumbos closed the half on a 13-2 run spanning almost five minutes to hold a 38-21 advantage into intermission, taking control of the game for good.
The Jumbos scored the first eight points in the second half, and the home team led by as many as 25 in the frame before settling for a 66-43 victory. Morehead led the team with 17 points, shooting a deadly 5-6 from beyond the arc, while Kanner added 16 points, 11 boards and five blocks.
With Friday's win, the Jumbos clinched a new school record for victories in a single season (27). Coach Berube, now in her 12th season with the program, has led her team to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year. The last two seasons the round marked the end of the road for the Jumbos. But Tufts will look to rewrite the script this year when they take on Castleton, which defeated Plattsburgh State in its second-round matchup to advance.
"It's back to work, back to practicing and getting ready for the next test," Berube said. "We feel very fortunate to be moving on, and we're not stopping here. We're just going to keep on working and whoever is up next for us, we'll be ready."
