Tufts women’s basketball faced Wesleyan University on Friday for their sixth in-conference matchup of the season.
Tufts came in hot, outscoring Wesleyan by 10 points in the first quarter, and by the end of the first half they had more than double Wesleyan’s baskets.
In the second half of the game their unremitting dominance continued. Although the scoring onslaught slowed somewhat in the third, the Jumbos still finished with 16 points in the third quarter and 20 in the fourth. By the time of the final buzzer, the score was 76–42 Jumbos.
Senior guard Sofia Gonzalez had another strong game, dropping 24 points on 10-15 shooting from the field. Getting it done on both ends of the court, Gonzalez also recorded five steals throughout the game.
Sophomore guard Stella Galanes had 14 points to add to the score, with four steals of her own in a stellar display of defense from the Jumbos. Steal specialist of the night was senior guard Annika Decker, who had eight steals in total.
In the midst of their impressive performance, Tufts made eight 3-point shots, exactly double the effort from the Wesleyan offense.
Watching film and preparing a defensive plan was key to shutting down the Cardinals in their scoring efforts. “[Watching film] allowed us to know players' tendencies and truly stop them on defense,” Gonzalez wrote in an email to the Daily. With a total of 24 steals to back it up, the team followed through flawlessly on their plan.
“I think we started the game off very well with our pedal to the metal,” Gonzalez wrote, discussing the teams’ focal points going into the game. “We were very intense and had high energy.”
After the game, the Jumbos held a 4–2 NESCAC record. The team has been on an absolute roll the past few weeks, beating some formidable opponents in the conference to keep up with their ongoing win streak.
“I think there has been a lot of growth that we have made in the past few weekends,” Gonzalez noted, reflecting on the team’s recent performance.
The Jumbos now must continue their domination going forward in the season. “You have to want it more than the other team,” Gonzalez wrote, referring to what would continue to propel them through the final stint of the regular season.
Saturday afternoon the Jumbos pulled out yet another ‘W’, as the Jumbos displayed yet another scoring exhibition, besting the Trinity College Bantams 68–59.
The next few weeks leading up to the NESCAC tournament will be crucial for the team’s in-conference ranking and tournament placement. The Jumbos will face three NESCAC opponents in their next four games before the NESCAC tournament begins. With their recent stint of wins, Tufts women’s basketball is now ranked fourth in the conference this season, with plenty of room for upward mobility in the standings if they continue to perform as they have the past few weeks.
“Something that separates us from a lot of other teams is our heart and our grit,” Gonzalez wrote.
The season for the Jumbos has not been as smooth as recent scoreboards would indicate. The Jumbos have steadily moved up since the first half of the season significantly, both in overall and NESCAC rankings. They will face Amherst College and Hamilton College on Friday and Saturday for a chance to continue their upward march.
Mentality has guided the fate of this Jumbo squad, and with their relentless intensity and unmatched energy, the playoff horizon looks ever promising for Tufts women’s basketball.
