NO. 5 TUFTS ROLLS TO 76-52 WIN AT EMMANUEL

BOSTON, Mass. – Tufts University posted a 76-52 victory over Emmanuel College in non-conference women's basketball action played in the Jean Yawkey Center on Wednesday night.  The Jumbos, ranked 5th-nationally in this week's USA Today/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll, improved to 15-1 overall with the win.  The Saints dropped to 8-9 on the season with the loss.

Tufts jumped out to an 11-4 lead five minutes into the action, capitalizing on the post play of Hayley Kanner (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and Michela North (Duxbury, Mass.).  The Saints began to chip away and EC had cut its early deficit to two points at 16-14, following a turn-around in the lane from Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) with 7:48 remaining in the half.

Senior guard Hannah Foley (Acton, Mass.) drained a triple from the left baseline to stretch the Jumbos' lead back to seven, 25-18, with just under five minutes to play in the period.  A Tufts' three-pointer from rookie guard Lauren Dillon (Wellesley, Mass.) gave the Jumbos' their first double-figure lead of the night, up 30-18, with three minutes to play in the half.

Higgins and Foley then traded threes at opposite ends to set the score at 33-21. A final free throw by Dillon would push the spread to 34-21 at the break.  Tufts dominated the glass in the first half, owning a 24-9 rebounding margin.  Foley and North each scored in double-figures to lead the way for the Jumbos in the first half, with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The Jumbos went on an 8-2 run coming out of the locker room at halftime and built a 41-23 lead.  Rookie forward Melissa Baptista (Somerville, Mass.) extended the Tufts' advantage to twenty points at 48-28, after her lay-up in the lane.

Emmanuel then went on a 7-1 run, backed by low post scoring from Jen Chalk (Horseheads, N.Y.) and Jennifer Bujnowski (Salem, N.H.), cutting the deficit to 49-35 and forcing a Tufts' timeout with 9:21 on the clock.  Out of the timeout, Bujnowski scored again down low for the Saints, before North answered with an old-fashioned three-point play at the other end and Tufts led 53-37 nearing the seven minute mark.

A pair of free throws from Foley would extend the Jumbos' lead back to twenty points, but Higgins dialed in from behind the arc on the Saints' next possession to bring the spread to 61-44 with just over four minutes left to play.  The Jumbos connected on their free throws down the stretch and both teams emptied their benches, as Tufts finished with its largest lead of the night in the 76-52 win.

North led the way for Tufts, posting a game-high 25 points, which came off of 11-15 shooting.  The sophomore forward notched a double-double, as she also hauled in 10 defensive boards.  North led four Tufts players scoring in double-figures.    Foley finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Kanner added a double-double of 13 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.  Baptista chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds in the win.  As a team, Tufts out-rebounded Emmanuel, 54-22.

The Saints were led by 14 points from Higgins.  Bujnowski finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals, while Vanessa Bramante (Stoneham, Mass.) notched nine points and four rebounds in the effort.  Freshman guard Karlee Alves (Ellington, Conn.) dished out a game-high five assists for the Saints.  Emmanuel also got solid effort off the bench from rookie guard Sasha Puglisi (Cross River, N.Y.), who hit for six points and grabbed a pair of boards.

Emmanuel is off for the next seven days. The Saints will return to the court on Thursday, January 29th, when Emmanuel hosts Suffolk University in a 7:00 PM GNAC contest.  Tufts will host Bates this Saturday, January 24th, in NESCAC action, tipping off at 3:00 PM.