Women's basketball prepares for season opener

Winter is coming for Tufts sports, and with the change of season comes the opening games of several of Tufts’ most successful sports teams. Sitting high among these is the Tufts women’s basketball team, currently ranked No. 6 in the country. The Jumbos have proven time and time again in recent years why they are one of the dominant forces both in the NESCAC and Div. III NCAA women’s basketball as a whole. Coming off a season in which they finished 26–5, the Jumbos are preparing to start their 2018-2019 season on the road this weekend, when they travel to Middlebury, Vt. for the Middlebury Tip-Off Classic.

The Jumbos came away empty-handed in both of their post-season runs last year. In the NESCAC Championship game, Tufts lost 44–40 to Amherst which claimed the victory for for the third year running. Adding insult to injury, the game also marked the third year in a row in which Tufts came within a five-point margin of winning the NESCAC final over Amherst.

Despite the defeat, as one of the powerhouses in Div. III women's basketball, the Jumbos received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Tufts saw off the challenges of Westfield State, Ithaca and Messiah, earning them a spot in the Elite Eight to face Bowdoin. The two teams had already met twice before this NCAA match-up, with the Polar Bears winning the regular season matchup, 66–53, and the Jumbos emerging victors in the NESCAC semifinals, 60–48. Unfortunately for the Jumbos, their NCAA quarterfinal matchup went along the lines of their regular season matchup as the Polar Bears emerged with a dominant 66–48 victory, ending the Jumbos' season.

Coach Carla Berube shared her thoughts on her team's performance in both the NESCAC Championship game and the NCAA tournament last season.

“I thought that we could have done a better job in the NESCAC final game of finishing,” Berube said. “I think in the Bowdoin game they just were better, they outplayed us. You know, it’s not a bounce-back year, because being in the Elite Eight and the NESCAC Championship game is really not a bad year, but expectations are high and I think they’re hungry to have a successful season.”

Senior guard and co-captain Jac Knapp said the team is dissatisfied with last year's playoff outcome and that the team is motivated to make an improvement.

“We’ve kind of had a little bit of a sour taste in our mouths,” Knapp said. “Last year's outcome wasn’t as good as we wanted, but I think that’s helped fire us up and light this fire underneath us. I think this year [we are] a completely different team, and I think everybody’s really looking forward to [the season].”

The Jumbos had to say goodbye to a particularly strong senior class this summer. Among the graduating seniors were forward Melissa Baptista (LA '18) and co-captain guard Lauren Dillon (LA '18). Baptista, a Somerville native, played in 126 games during her career at Tufts, during which she became the third-leading scorer in Tufts history with a career total of 1,337 points. Dillon broke school records of her own, tallying the most assists (481) and steals (266) in Tufts history.

Despite the departures, Knapp said she is optimistic that both new and returning players will fill the gap.

“We lost a lot of very important seniors, but I think their leadership that they provided while they were here last year is really encouraging and I think it really set some people up to step up this year,” she said. ”We have a lot of underclassmen who worked hard all summer and who will definitely be making an impact, as well as a bunch of returning juniors and other seniors.”

Berube said that returning players will play an important role in helping the team to continue to compete at the highest level.

“Losing our four-year point guard and a two-time All-American are definitely some big shoes,” Berube said. “You certainly don’t try to fill those shoes, because I think it’s going to be a different look, but I do think we have some really experienced and talented returners. Some returners that got some minutes and smaller roles last year are going to have to step up and become bigger contributors.”

One of the graduating seniors will stay with the team, however. Dillon, currently attending graduate school at Tufts, will be returning to the team as an assistant coach.

Junior guard/forward and co-captain Erica DeCandido said Dillon will be a good addition to the team.

“I came in as a freshman and [Dillon] was one of the junior captains," DeCandido said. "I think from the start, everyone always respected her and having her still in the program and having her as a coach is just helping us even more. We talked about it last year, saying things like ‘Oh my god, we can’t even imagine [Dillon] not being in this program.’ When she announced that she was the assistant coach, we were all so excited because we just love her as a person, and as a coach she knows basketball so well.” 

For their own parts, Knapp and DeCandido bring with them years of experience playing Tufts basketball into their new roles as co-captains. Knapp has played in 95 games during her time at Tufts, earning a starting position in 62 of those games. Meanwhile, DeCandido has started in 26 of her 59 games during her two years as a Jumbo and currently holds the record for the second highest career free throw percentage with 84.4 percent.

Berube said her co-captains are strong leaders and praised their ability to work with the players.

“Both of them are great leaders, respected leaders, and I think both of them are very approachable,” Berube said. “They demand a lot of respect because they lead by example always. They play hard every second they’re on the court, and I think they’ve done a great job bringing the team together with new faces and all of the personalities that we have. They’ve done an awesome job, and now they have to step up their roles on the court.”

The Jumbos will begin their season at the Middlebury Tip-Off Classic. During the tournament, the Jumbos are scheduled to play the Springfield Pride on Friday, followed by a match with the Lasell Lasers on Saturday. Despite lack of familiarity with both opponents, Knapp said that the team will be focused and prepared going into the weekend.

“It’s the first weekend of games and we have to make sure we’re ready for anybody,” Knapp said. “No matter what they throw at us, we have to make sure we’re ready to go, focused, and I know the coaches are going to do a great job this weekend and prepare us for both opponents.”

Following the games in Middlebury, Vt., the Jumbos will host their home opener on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. against the Skidmore Thoroughbreds.