BRISTOL, RI (November 14, 2023) -- Senior forward
Maggie Russell finished with a game-high 21 points, adding nine rebounds, and two other Jumbos tallied in double figures as the No. 4 Tufts University women's basketball team picked up a 72-54 road victory at Roger Williams University in non-conference play from the Student Recreation Center.
Tufts (2-1) shot the ball well in the opening half, which included an 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) second quarter that saw the Jumbos turn a 17-15 lead after the first quarter into a 36-24 lead at the halftime intermission. That advantage for Tufts would stay in double figures the rest of the way, as the road Jumbos were able play 14 players while 10 got onto the scoresheet.
The first quarter though was a back-and-forth affair that featured four ties with the latest at 9-9 after a pair of free throws by RWU's Caroline Elie. Tufts senior
Samantha Sousa answered with a triple to put the Jumbos ahead for good, also hitting another three with under a minute to play in the opening stanza to make it 17-13. Roger Williams rallied to tie the game at 17, but Tufts rattled off nine points including six from Russell to take a 26-17 lead.
The Tufts edge reached double digits for the first time in the game with under two minutes left, as another lay-up by Russell made it 34-24. Two
Callie O'Brien free-throws with 12 seconds to play in the half gave the Jumbos its 12-point lead at the break, as they forced six turnovers in the second frame to pull away.
Russell finished 7-of-12 on field goals on Tuesday night, adding nine rebounds (two offensive) in 28 minutes.
Sofia Gonzalez was 6-of-14 from the floor, scoring 14 points to go with six rebounds and Sousa tallied 13 points and five caroms as well. O'Brien led the team with seven assists in addition to her six points, and
Caitlyn O'Boyle came off the bench to score six points in additions to her four boards.
Junior
Mikayla Paquette also posted five points in the win for Tufts, which shot 42.2 percent (27-64) from the floor for the evening. The Jumbos also were 13-for-16 from the line (81.3 percent), and posted a 20-11 edge in second-chance points after winning the rebound battle, 41-27.
The Hawks (1-1) got 13 points from Katie Galligan, and Elie and Abrielle Racine each finished with 10 points as well in the loss.
Tufts will return to the floor on Saturday at 1 p.m., hosting Brandeis University in non-conference action in Cousens Gymnasium. Prior to the game, Russell will be presented with her 1,000-point ball after eclipsing the plateau against Christopher Newport University in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
--JUMBOS--
