Tufts 67, Worcester State 58
Medford, MA --- The #18 Tufts women's basketball team had all it
could handle against upset-minded Worcester State College on
Thursday night. The Jumbos improved to 15-1 overall and finished
their non-conference slate at 14-0 by taking a 67-58 victory over
the Lancers (4-11) at Cousens Gym.
Visiting Worcester State had a 23-13 lead in the first half before
Tufts rallied to take a 30-28 lead at intermission. Worcester then
hung around in the second half and led 53-52 at the eight-minute
mark before Tufts pulled away down the stretch.
Tufts dominated the boards in the game, especially on the offensive
glass. The Jumbos finished with a 44-25 advantage overall, and had
23 offensive rebounds. Senior co-captain Khalilah
Ummah (Litchfield, ME) led the winners with 14 rebounds
and 20 points.
Worcester shot 52.2 percent (12/23) in the first half when they
were led by 10 points from senior tri-captain Lindsay
DelleChiaie (Leominster, MA). After falling behind 23-13,
the Jumbos used a 14-2 run to take a 27-25 lead on a jumper by
sophomore Julia Baily (Farmington, CT) with 2:20
to play until halftime. Free throws by junior Katie
Tausanovitch (Lyme, NH) with 22 seconds remaining gave
Tufts their edge at the break. Ummah had eight's in points and
rebounds at the half.
The game remained very tight for most of the second half. Worcester
had a 40-38 lead on a three-pointer by first-year Kathleen
Foley (Hudson, NH) at 15:15. The score would be tied five
times over the next five minutes of play. DelleChiaie's
three-pointer put Worcester up 53-52, but Tufts scored the next
four by Ummah and Tausanovitch to lead 56-53 and would not trail
again.
After a lay-up by DelleChiaie made it 56-55 Tufts at the six-minute
mark, the Jumbos spurted 6-0 to earn a 62-55 advantage following
two free throws by sophomore Casey Sullivan
(Berlin, CT) at 4:28. A three-point play by first-year
Becca Giguere (West Brookfield, MA) pulled the
visitors within 62-58, but they went cold in the final minutes and
did not score again.
Six-footers Ummah and Tausanovitch proved too much for the Lancers
under the basket, as the latter finished with 14 points and eight
rebounds. First-year point guard Colleen Hart
(Needham, MA) had nine points, five rebounds and three assists for
the winners, who were just 3 for 18 from long range (16.7 percent).
First-year guard Lindsay Weiner (Rockville, MD)
was a key player in the second half and finished with eight points
and three steals.
DelleChiaie was the game-high scorer with 22 points, hitting 8 of
17 shots including four threes. Senior tri-captain Maureen
Lemay (Nashua, NH) and sophomore Bri
Flanders (Southampton, MA) both added 10 points to the
Worcester attack, with Lemay's four assists ending the most in the
game.
Release Courtesy of Tufts University Sports Information