THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 13 Tufts University 86, MIT 74
 
- Records: MIT (4-5); Tufts (7-1)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: A 25-7 run during the second quarter helped No. 13 Tufts University pull away before going on to capture an 86-74 victory over MIT in a non-conference women's basketball game on Saturday. Graduate student Paula Pieper (Greenville, S.C.) led all players with a career-high 26 points to go along with five assists for the Engineers while Sofia Gonzalez posted a team-high 19 points in addition to seven rebounds for the Jumbos.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Tufts inched out to a 16-12 lead after two free throws by Caitlyn O'Boyle with 1:21 left in the quarter. Pieper drained a free throw and then a jumper to bring MIT within one with 26 seconds remaining. The Jumbos replied with a three-pointer from Gonzalez to go up 19-15 at the end of the quarter.
 
- Pieper knocked down a jumper 22 seconds into the second stanza, however, a put-back by O'Boyle sparked Tufts' 25-7 run which resulted in a 44-24 advantage at the 3:26 mark. The Jumbos went on to enter halftime with a 49-33 lead after a jumper in the paint by Samantha Sousa right before time expired.
 
- Despite the deficit MIT continued to attack, coming within 63-53 courtesy of a three-pointer by Pieper with 1:08 left in the third quarter. Tufts quickly responded with layups by Joelle Zelony and Sophia Davis, but a basket by sophomore Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) moved the score to 67-55 at the end of the frame.
 
- The Engineers carried the momentum into the fourth quarter as a trey by Pieper narrowed the gap to nine after 19 seconds expired. This was as close as it would get as a three-pointer from Gonzalez sparked an 8-0 run that resulted in a 78-58 advantage with 7:05 on the clock. MIT countered with six unanswered points, but the Jumbos responded with an 8-2 burst that increased their margin to 20 points (86-66) for the third time. The Engineers closed out the game with an 8-0 run during the last 1:31 of regulation.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Choi recorded 11 points, followed by 10 from both sophomore Sarah Berman (York, Pa.) and first-year Alice Hall (Ambler, Pa.). Sophomore Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) tallied seven points, five rebounds, two steals, and a block for MIT.
 
- Davis registered 14 points and three steals as Hannah Kelly compiled 13 points, four assists, and three blocks. O'Boyle collected a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with 10 points off the bench while Sarah Crossett posted 10 points and four assists.
 
- Tufts ended the day with advantages in rebounds (43-29), points in the paint (44-24), points off turnovers (25-19), second-chance points (11-8), and bench scoring (33-18).
 
- The Engineers shot 39.1 percent (25-of-64) from the floor, 50 percent (9-of-18) from three-point range, and 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the free throw line.
 
- The Jumbos shot 54.1 percent (33-of-61) from the floor, 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from behind the arc, and 78.6 percent (11-of-14) at the charity stripe.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 29 when it kicks off the two-day Music City Classic against Meredith College at Welch College in Gallantin, Tennessee at 3:30 p.m. EST. Tufts, meanwhile, has a quick turnaround as it will host NYU (No. 2 in the D3hoops.com Poll; No. 3 in the WBCA Poll) on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 2:00 p.m.
 
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