MEDFORD, Mass. – The Regis College Women's Basketball team suffered a 57-44 defeat at the hands of #4 ranked Tufts University on Saturday afternoon in a matinee hoops matchup. It was the Jumbos second win in a row after being dealt their first loss of the season to Scranton in Puerto Rico, while the Pride have dropped three straight contests. The Jumbos were led by the tandem of Hayley Kanner (15 points) and Michela North (14 points), while Regis senior guards Emilee Marro (Bedford, N.H.) led all scorers with 16 points.
The Pride controlled the first half of play as the Jumbos struggled to find any offensive rhythm and were plagued by a slew of missed lay-ups down low. New England Collegiate Conference's 5th-best 3-point shooter Marro led the charge for Regis, scoring 15 of her 16 points in the first half, as the Pride rattled off an 11-2 run, which included two consecutive Marro 3-pointers, to take the lead early on.
Tufts would regain the momentum with an 11-0 stretch of their own, ignited by two consecutive Josie Lee buckets and a Hannah Foley 3-pointer. The Jumbos briefly took the lead 18-17 on an Emma Roberson lay-up, but the teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half and Marro would give Regis the 24-23 halftime lead after hitting her third three of the frame.
After scoring just five points and three points respectively in the first half, North and Kanner made the necessary corrections to come alive in the second. They combined for the Jumbos' first 12 points in the half, all coming within the first six minutes. Kanner recorded eight of the twelve, while North chipped in four.
Behind a better shooting performance (44.4%) and continued hard-nosed defense, the Jumbos would push the lead to 12 halfway through the second frame and never relinquish it, despite the Pride's effort to cut the deficit to six at one point.
The Jumbos caused 14 of the Pride's 16 turnovers and swatted 10 shots, while holding Marro to just one point in the second half. Coming in to today's game, Regis had committed the fewest turnovers per game in the NECC and ranked at the top in steals and blocks per game, while Tufts owns the second-best steals per game and blocks per game marks in the NESCAC. All nine Jumbos who saw action recorded at least two points and all but one picked up a steal.
Regis senior guard Janaya Bradley (New Haven, Conn.) finished the contest with nine points, three assists, and three boards.
The Pride return to the action on Thursday, January 8th as they travel to New Hampshire for a game against conference rival Daniel Webster with tip-off slated for 7:00 p.m.
Release courtesy of Tufts University Sports Information