For the second time this season, the women's basketball team found itself in overtime with Williams. And for the second time, the squad found itself on the short end of a heart-breaking loss, this time falling 69-64 and, in the process, putting its season in jeopardy.
Tufts came out like a team with nothing to lose and its future on the line, hitting its first six field goals of the game and jumping out to a 12-7 lead. After an exchange of baskets for much of the first half, the Jumbos put together a late run. Freshman forward Ali Rocchi hit a jumper from the elbow, and senior guard Vanessa Miller turned two straight Eph turnovers into 3-pointers, sending the squad into the half up 34-25.
"We love to feed off our defense intensity, and when we have that going for us, usually the rest of our game just falls into place," Rocchi said. "We were really getting after it, getting up in the passing lanes, forcing turnovers and converting on the other end."
The Ephs' thin backcourt was pestered into 13 turnovers in the first half, which the Jumbos turned into 16 points. Miller and senior tri-captain guard Colleen Hart both topped double digits in the first half, with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Unfortunately, Tufts failed to carry its momentum from the first half into the second. The team missed its first 12 shots, totaling eight minutes without a score, and allowed Williams to go on a 12-0 run that gave the Ephs their first lead since two minutes into the game, when they were up 7-6.
"We were on a run, and it's hard when halftime comes around and just stops you from opening up that lead further," Rocchi said. "It sucks when you are going on a run like that to have to stop and sit down. We just didn't bring it out of the locker room early enough."
It was the Jumbos' turn for a response, and the team managed to once again grab hold of the game, getting contributions from a number of team members to take back the lead and extend it to eight points with four and a half to play. But the Jumbos' defense, forced to play cautiously due to foul trouble, could not contain the Ephs late in the game, and after Williams senior forward Taylor Shea followed up a 3-pointer by junior guard Jill Greenberg with a layup of her own, the game was tied with just 32 seconds to play.
Tufts took a timeout, and drew up a play for what would be the final shot in regulation. Miller took the ball up, and with Hart — her first option — covered on the perimeter, she defaulted to junior Tiffany Kornegay, who was only 1-for-9 from the field on the day. Kornegay got a decent look at a jumper from the free-throw line, but the shot rattled off back iron, sending the game to overtime.
"The play was designed to get Colleen an open look on the wing for three," Miller said. "If she wasn't open, we had Tiff coming off of a double screen to get the ball and penetrate. Looking back, Colleen may or may not have been open on the wing, but with the defense Williams was playing in that situation, if you aren't sure the ball is going to get to her hands, you don't throw it."
In the extra period, Williams came hot, jumping out to a 4-point lead. As was characteristic of the game, the Jumbos worked their way back, and the two teams found themselves tied for the eighth time with two minutes to go in the extra frame. The Ephs got two points from a pair of free throws from sophomore forward Claire Baecher, but Hart's attempted response from far behind the 3-point line was off target.
With less than a minute to go, Tufts had to come up with a defensive stop. The squad held sophomore guard Grace Rehnquist to a bad look, but Baecher came down with the offensive board. The Jumbos were forced to foul, and a pair of free throws by Greenberg iced the game, earning the Ephs their fourth win over the Jumbos in the teams' last five matchups.
The Jumbos got huge performances from their seniors in what could be their final game in a Tufts uniform. Hart had 18 points and six assists, while Miller had a career-high 20 points and added three steals. Sophomore Liz Moynihan also made a significant contribution off the bench, totaling nine points and three rebounds in just 16 minutes of playing time.
"I credit my teammates a lot," Miller said. "Colleen and Tiff both got me some open looks, and that helped. I felt good in warm-ups, and I wasn't ready to be playing in my last game yet, so I did everything I could to not let that happen."
While a win Saturday would have begun to solidify an at-large spot in the NCAA tournament for the Jumbos, a loss may put them on the wrong side of the bubble come selection day. Tufts will likely need to jump Bates — who sits one place above them in the regional rankings — on the merits of their 60-47 victory over Endicott and an overtime loss to Williams in comparison to the Bobcats' 69-52 defeat at the hands of Bowdoin. And even if they jump Bates, they would need the committee to award a record-tying four at-large bids to the NESCAC, which happened for the first time in 2009-10.
"We realize we are really a bubble team right now," Miller said. "It isn't a huge chance that we get in, but the chance exists. We are lucky enough to have had so much success in the last three years in the NCAA's, which is definitely helpful to have on our side. We also play in such an incredibly strong conference that you never know how many teams they are going to take."
