#15 TUFTS EDGES #23 EMMANUEL, 57-51
Jan. 6, 2010
MEDFORD, Mass. - Senior Julia Baily (Farmington, Conn.) scored 11 of her game-high 15 points in the second half, and sophomore guard Tiffany Kornegay (Carver, Mass.) netted all 10 of her points in the second frame, as the Tufts University women's basketball team won a battle of national top 25 teams, 57-51, against Emmanuel College on Tuesday night at Cousens Gym. The Saints, who faced two top twenty teams in just four days, were coming off a huge win over \#10 Messiah College on Saturday and narrowly missed upsetting \#15 Tufts on Tuesday night.
Tufts, ranked 15th in the most recent D3Hoops.com poll, improved to 11-1 with their 11th win in a row. The Jumbos will attempt to tie the school record for victories, set by the 2007-08 team, when they host Bates College on Saturday. The Saints, \#23 in the D3Hoops.com rankings, dropped to 8-2 overall and will open up conference play on Thursday, hosting Saint Joseph's College (Maine).
Emmanuel came out of a poorly played first half with a 16-14 lead. The teams combined for 25 turnovers (13 by Tufts) and shot just 13 for 59 (22 percent) from the floor, including 0 for 11 on three-pointers. The score was 6-6 at the 10-minute mark and Emmanuel senior tri-captain Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.) gave the visitors an 8-6 advantage with a lay-up at 9:38. The Saints maintained a slim advantage until intermission. Davis and Tufts' Colleen Hart (Needham, Mass.) both had six points at the break.
Tufts scored the first two baskets of the second half, which gave them a lead they would not relinquish. The Jumbos led by 10, 32-22, when a free throw by Hart capped a 13-4 run. She had six points during the stretch and Kornegay scored five. Tufts kept a three-possession margin for a good chunk of time and was up 43-33 after Kornegay's free throw at 5:04.
Emmanuel's Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) answered with a three at the other end, pulling the Saints to within 43-36. However, the Jumbos scored the next six points and had the biggest margin of the game up 13 at 49-36 with 3:34 on the clock. Emmanuel didn't pack it in, instead running off eight-straight points to cut the gap to five points (49-44) on back-to-back break-away lay-ups by ECAC New England Player of the Week, Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn).
The Jumbos came out of a time-out and scored four unanswered points, taking a 53-44 advantage on Hart's jumper with 55 seconds remaining. The Saints showed fight until the end, with a lay-up by Davis making it 53-48 with 19 seconds to go and a three-pointer by Tiaunna Nieves (Springfield, Mass.) bringing it down to 55-51 with eight seconds left. Kornegay and junior Vanessa Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio) were four for four from the free throw line in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory for the hosts.
Bailey added seven rebounds and three blocks to her game, while Hart finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three steals for the Jumbos. Kornegay also had five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore Kate Barnosky's (Huntington Station, N.Y.) game-high 13 rebounds were complemented by eight points and three assists. Tufts out-scored Emmanuel 15-6 at the line in the second half.
Davis had 12 points and seven rebounds for Emmanuel, which turned it over 26 times in the game. LeBel and Ockimey both scored 10 points, while 11 rebounds by first-year Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, CT) helped the Saints edge the Jumbos on the boards, 45-42. Junior point guard Casey Shevlin (Medford, N.Y.) chipped in with 8 points and 4 assists in the effort.
The Saints will return to action on Thursday night (1/7). Emmanuel will host the Monks of Saint Joseph's College in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener. The game is slated to begin at 7pm in the Jean Yawkey Center.
- Courtesy of Tufts University Sports Information