MEDFORD, MA (February 18, 2023) -- Junior forward
Maggie Russell poured in a career-high 40 points on Saturday, lifting the top-seeded Jumbos of Tufts University to a 75-61 win over No. 8 seed Bowdoin College in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) quarterfinals in Cousens Gymnasium.
The Jumbos (19-6) will now play host to the semifinals and finals next weekend, as Tufts will take on No. 4 Middlebury College February 25 at 2 p.m. in Cousens Gymnasium. The Panthers knocked off Hamilton College 66-52 to reach the semifinal round. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed Williams College will face off against No. 3 Trinity College at 4:30 p.m. The winners will play Sunday at noon for the NESCAC title. The victory was also the 100th of head coach
Jill Pace's coaching career, earning 31 at Pomona-Pitzer before earning her 69th at Tufts Saturday.
The career-high point total for Russell eclipsed her previous high of 33 points, which she set earlier this season in a home win over Bates College. Russell was efficient with her shooting, connecting on 11-of-17 field goals while knocking down all 16 free throws she took on the game. Russell also pulled in a team-high 13 rebounds, marking her ninth double-double of the campaign. The 16 frees throws made without a miss is a school record, while the 40 points were the second-most in a game ever behind only Ellie Strobel's 44 points against Connecticut College back in 1994. She now has 879 points for her career.
Despite the massive game for Russell, the Jumbos trailed for the entirety of the opening frame as a three-pointer just before end of the quarter gave Bowdoin a 17-14 lead going to the second period. A 9-0 run would give the Jumbos their first lead of the night at 25-19, capped by a triple from junior
Callie O'Brien. Tufts would cling to its lead for the remainder of the half, taking a slight 28-26 edge into the break.
After the break, Tufts offense would explode as it connected on 10 of its 11 field goals in the third quarter, shooting 91 percent in the frame to lead by as many as 11 before taking a 57-48 lead into the fourth. The Jumbos' advantage hovered around double figures never getting under seven points in the final frame as the Jumbos rolled to the win.
In addition to Russell's big game, sophomore
Sofia Gonzalez added 13 points, two boards and two steals while O'Brien had a strong game with nine points, five boards and seven assists. Junior
Samantha Sousa added eight points on 4-of-8 shooting, and
Joelle Zelony came off the bench to tally four points. Tufts finished the game 24-of-49 (49.0 percent), while connecting on a season-high 91.7 percent from the line (22-24). The percentage was the highest in a game since going 13-for-13 against Bowdoin on January 31, 2020.
Tufts turned the ball just nine times, the second-most total of the season, while assisting on 17 of its 24 made buckets.
The Polar Bears (15-10) had three players in double figures, led by Sydney Jones and her 16 points and nine rebounds. Carly Davey and Sela Kay each finished with 10 points as well for Bowdoin, which shot 37.9 percent from the floor on the game.
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--JUMBOS--
