| Lauren Dillon and Tufts ran
their winning streak against Amherst to three
games. Tufts athletics photo by Kelvin Ma |
No. 9 Tufts dominated No. 3 Amherst 65-42 and seized the crucial head-to-head victory in the only regular season game between the two NESCAC powershouses.
Freshman Melissa Baptista came off the Tufts bench to spark the Jumbos to an early lead against visiting Amherst. She scored 11 points in just eight minutes on 4-for-4 shooting in the first half. Baptista's minutes were limited by foul trouble, but Hayley Kanner kept the Jumbos rolling, scoring 12 points before the break.
Tufts ripped off a 14-2 run to start the second half, pushing its lead to 46-27. The Jumbos' lead got as high as 25 points before both teams brought in their reserves. Kanner finished with 24 points and seven rebounds while freshman point guard Lauren Dillon added 10 assists. The Jumbos and Lord Jeffs will not meet again in the regular season because the NESCAC uses a single round robin format.
The other undefeated, ranked teams fared better on Friday night. No. 10 George Fox shot 60 percent in the first half and built a 39-18 lead over Whitman at the break. The Bruins held that double-digit advantage the rest of the way in a 77-63 victory. George Fox (14-0, 5-0 NWC) hosts No. 15 Whitworth on Saturday. The Pirates fended off Pacific 67-63 to also stay undefeated.
Strong bench play propelled No. 4 Washinton U. past Emory, 66-59. The Bears' reserves outscored the Emory reserves 34-16. No. 8 NYU did just enough to edge Case Western Reserve 60-59 on the road. Amy Harioka's layup with 5.7 seconds left was the difference, and the Violets erased a seven-point halftime deficit.
Bowdoin defeated No. 18 Williams 59-50 for its 11th consecutive victory. The Polar Bears shot 14 for 15 from the free throw line. Southwestern held Trinity (Texas) scoreless for the final three minutes and rallied to beat the Tigers, 50-49. The Pirates sit alone in first in the SCAC at 4-0 after going 2-9 in nonconference play.
Men's recap: Midwest is best in UAA
No. 6 Washington U. bounced back from its first loss of the season and beatNo. 5 Emory, 80-67. The Bears outrebounded the Eagles by 19 and used a 12-0 run early in the second half to pull away from Emory for good. David Fatoki had 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Washington U (12-1, 1-1 UAA). Chicago defeated Rochester 88-81, sending the Yellowjackets to their seventh straight loss, despite 30 points by Sam Borst-Smith.
When was the last time the Top 25 poll did not include a team from the NESCAC? The next time that happens will probably be Monday as the conference's last ranked team got clobbered at home on Friday night. Tarik Smith scored 18 points off the bench for Tufts and the Jumbos blitzed No. 25 Amherst, 80-53.
The other three NESCAC teams that received Top 25 votes have also lost this week, though Trinity (Conn.) bounced back from its midweek loss to beat Bates, 66-59. William Peace, which won just three conference games in its first full season of men's basketball last year, surprised Maryville (Tenn.), 97-94 in overtime. Nate Strother had 21 points for the Pacers.