Written by Riley Peterson '24, Tufts Athletic Communications Student-Worker
MEDFORD, MA (February 3, 2024) – Even with a packed home crowd for Senior Day, the Tufts University women's basketball hard-fought New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) battle against the Polar Bears of Bowdoin College resulted in a 77-63 loss for the Jumbos inside Cousens Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
The Jumbos (11-9, 3-5 NESCAC) put up 21 points in the first quarter, with seniors leading the charge. Forward Maggie Russell contributed eight points with three rebounds and forward Mallory Folliard put up six to start the game. Despite three-pointers from Bowdoin guards Megan Tan and Carly Davey, the Polar Bears (20-2, 7-1 NESCAC) only tallied 19 after the first ten minutes of play as Tufts going to the second quarter.
After a successful start, the Jumbos came out confident and embraced the physicality. Their willingness to compete was stifled by a series of shots by Bowdoin guard Sydney Jones, who scored 15 of the 23 Bowdoin points in the second quarter. Going into halftime, the Polar Bears had taken the lead at 42-38.
Rebounding struggles and turnovers proved to be the Achilles heel of the second half. Coming out of the locker room, Tufts tried to keep up with Jones and the rest of the Polar Bears, but ultimately faced trouble on both ends of the court.
Bowdoin shot 52.8% from the field and went on an 8-0 run in the middle of the quarter, while guard Maria Belardi converted multiple fast-break opportunities into baskets. A tough time on defense was only compounded by a low-scoring quarter for the Jumbos, who shot 27.3% and were outscored by ten points.
The final ten minutes of the game saw flickers of hope for Tufts, with junior guard Mikayla Paquette scoring six before fouling out late in the game. Although both teams scored 15 in the fourth, it was not enough for the Jumbos to come back from their third-quarter deficit of 14 points. Bowdoin's late-game free-throw opportunities would ultimately seal the deal as they shot an overall 9-for-13.
Russell and Folliard combined for 29 points, highlighted by the team-high 18 points from Russell. Sofia Gonzalez added 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, making three of her five three-pointers, and first-year Stella Galanes also finished with six points and three rebounds.
Jones ended the game with 20 points and eight rebounds, but was not alone in putting up numbers; forward Abbie Quinn scored 11 and guard Carly Davey had 10 of Bowdoin's 77 points.
The 'Bos will be at home again on Tuesday evening for their last out-of-conference opponent of the regular season, Smith College. The game will take place in Cousens Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Make sure to check gotuftsjumbos.com as to any scheduling updates, while following along on social media on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @tuftsjumbos.
—JUMBOS–
