CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A 5-of-8 performance at the charity stripe during the final 37 seconds of regulation helped Tufts University secure a 66-60 win over MIT in a non-conference women's basketball game in Rockwell Cage on Thursday night. First-year
Deana Prasad (Cary, N.C.) paced the Engineers with 13 points and three assists while first-year Monet Witherspoon (St. Louis, Mo.) generated a game-high 19 points for the Jumbos.
THE BASICS:
- Score: Tufts 66, MIT 60
- Records: MIT (2-7 Overall); Tufts (6-2 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A 14-4 run that featured seven points by Witherspoon gave Tufts a 21-10 lead with 1:32 left in the opening frame. MIT replied with a three pointer from senior Sarah Berman (York, Pa.) and a jumper by senior Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) to close out the quarter.
- The Jumbos maintained a small cushion during the second stanza, however, two free throws by senior Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) with 51 seconds left narrowed the gap to 32-27 at halftime.
- Tufts held a slight lead in the third quarter, but a seven-point burst that was capped by a Prasad trey brought the Engineers within 40-39 at the 4:12 mark. Sparked by a put-back from senior Caitlyn O'Boyle (Mahopac, N.Y.), the Jumbos put together an 8-2 run to create some breathing room. Nwogu followed with a pair of free throws with three seconds on the clock, making the score 48-43.
- MIT outscored Tufts, 7-3, during the first three minutes of the fourth quarter as jumper by sophomore Sydney Baller (Littleton, Colo.) trimmed the deficit to 51-50. Over a minute later, a three pointer by Witherspoon kicked off a 10-4 run that spanned three minutes. Junior Alice Hall (Ambler, Pa.) buried back-to-back jumpers, narrowing the gap to 61-58 with 1:25 remaining. This was as close as it would get as the Jumbos' final five points came from the free throw line while Nwogu capped the scoring with a layup with seven seconds left.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Nwogu finished with 12 points and nine rebounds as senior Elise Harvey (Wayland, Mass.) totaled 12 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
- Hall recorded eight points, five rebounds, and three assists while Choi produced seven points, five rebounds, and three steals.
- Junior Sarah Crossett (Naperville, Ill.) contributed 13 points as senior Sofia Gonzalez (Glendale, Calif.) registered 12 points and eight rebounds.
- O'Boyle grabbed seven rebounds while senior Annika Decker (Bangkok, Thailand) generated four assists and three steals.
UP NEXT:
- MIT returns to action on Tuesday, December 10 when it hosts No. 12/15 Smith College in a non-conference game at 7:00 PM. Tufts, meanwhile, will host No. 1/1 NYU on Saturday, December 8 at 12:00 PM.
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