Tufts looks to build on last season's Final Four success

This season, tri-captains Kelsey Morehead, Hayley Kanner and Hannah Foley will be returning for their senior years as anchors of the women's basketball team -- a team that is coming off of its most successful season in program history. The 2013-2014 Tufts team recorded an unprecedented 21-game win streak en route to its first NESCAC Championship, becoming just the third title-holder in the conference after Bowdoin and Amherst.

The win earned the Jumbos a bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Final Four, marking their best performance in program history.

But their success is a double-edged sword.

"A challenge coming off such a great season is that we have a big target on our backs," Foley said. "I think that coming from the Final Four last year got us really excited. It was such an unbelievable experience, so I think that's going to motivate us again this year. We had a great season last year, but that doesn't mean anything now -- we're a new team but we're going to use that success to fuel us."

But under the guidance of coach Carla Berube, four-time NESCAC Coach of the Year, the Jumbos' defense will look to continue their dominance in the NESCAC and build on a conference-best defense that allowed an average of just 49.4 points per game. The Jumbos were at the top of the NESCAC in field goal percentage against (.347), 3-point field goal percentage against (.269) and defensive rebounding (34.3 per game).

"Defense: that's not going to change," Berube said. "Especially because we don't have a lot of practice time [at the beginning of the season], defense is a focus. We're feeling strong and good about our team and individual defense. We've got that great communication, we've got that great help defense, so that's definitely been our focus these first couple of weeks, like it's been every year."

The defense will be led by Kanner, who was named to the All-NESCAC Second Team while averaging 5.5 rebounds per game and a league-high 2.8 blocked shots per game. Returning sophomore Michela North will also be looking to grow in her role as an additional weapon for Tufts' defense, expanding on a stellar freshman season where she led the team in rebounds (184) and field goal percentage (.590). As the 2013-2014 season got down to the wire, Berube experimented with the duo of North and Kanner, especially when playing against more physical teams, a strategy she could use again this upcoming season.

The Tufts offense might be overshadowed by the team's defense, but it was strong enough to average a 15.8 point scoring margin in the 2013-2014 season. Point guard Morehead, who averaged a team-high 35.3 minutes per 40-minute game, will be at the helm offensively. She was the lone Tufts player named to the All-NESCAC First Team, dishing out 3.3 assists per game while registering a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Morehead and Foley combined for nearly 100 3-pointers last season, and offered perimeter options for the team when Kanner and North drew attention from the defense inside the arc.

Foley, also an All-NESCAC Second Team selection, averaged 9.9 points a game (behind Kanner's 12.2 points per game), 5.5 rebounds per game (behind North's 5.9 rebounds per game) and a team-high 1.6 steals per game. The offense will rely on its depth this season, with returning junior guard Emma Roberson looking for more minutes this season. Roberson averaged 20.9 minutes per game in 31 games last season, scoring nearly 5 points per game, behind Foley, Morehead and Liz Moynihan (LA '14).

"Our greatest strength will be experience," Berube said. "We have several starters coming back and [are] returning a really strong senior class that has got some great experience over the last couple of years and the Final Four last year. Our depth will be strong again, as it was last year. It was a big reason why we were as successful as we were."

The team officially begins its season this weekend at Ramada Roundball Invitational at the University of New England, and is looking to pick up where it left off last season. However, NESCAC policy only allows teams in the conference to begin official practice on Nov. 1,  meaning that the team will be playing games this weekend after less than two weeks of practice.

"The way the calendar falls, it's really tight with only 12 practices [before our first game]," Berube said. "This week will be a challenge playing a strong team and a strong state team, [University of New England], we know from last year, but it's a challenge we always have -- less practice time than the teams we play. The captains have been holding practices throughout the fall and they've done a great job in getting in shape, in playing a lot and in developing that chemistry."

With so little time to prepare, the team's leadership will be crucial in ensuring that the Jumbos are ready to compete well this weekend.

"The [captains] communicate really well with each other and they're all different kinds of leaders, so they each bring something unique to that leadership front," Berube said. "It's been great working with [the captains] throughout the fall on leadership."

"We talk about chemistry on a team and chemistry is both on and off the court," Kanner said. "Kelsey [Morehead] and Hannah [Foley] are my best friends off the court, and I think we've already proven that on the court. I think we have great communication, and we'll continue that rapport on and off the court."