Back to the Sweet 16

After a baseline jumper by sophomore Michela North in the final seconds of regulation put the game into overtime, the Jumbos went on to beat St. John Fisher College, 72–67, in the NCAA Division III women’s basketball championship second-round game on March 7 at Cousens Gymnasium.

Jumbo senior tri-captain Kelsey Morehead, who missed 14 games in the middle of the season with a knee injury, scored 15 of her Tufts-high 19 points in the second half and overtime, including several big three-pointers. Head coach Carla Berube’s Jumbos advance to their fourth straight NCAA Sweet 16 and the program’s fifth overall.

Tufts (28–1) will face Eastern Connecticut State University (22–8) in the third round of NCAA basketball action on March 13 at Cousens Gym. Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham (28–1), the defending national champion, will play SUNY-Geneseo (25–4). The winners will play in the quarterfinals on March 14, with a berth in the Final Four on the line.

In last Saturday’s game, the St. John Fisher Cardinals (22–7) were up 58–53 with 1:36 remaining in the second half. Morehead answered with a three, pulling Tufts within two. Then a Cardinal player was fouled and calmly dropped in both shots, giving the Cardinals a 60–56 edge with one minute on the clock.

North rebounded a Tufts miss and was fouled; she made both freebies and cut the St. John Fisher lead to 60–58 with 41 seconds left. The Cardinals wound the clock down below 20 seconds and were looking at an opportunity to take at least a four-point lead, but they turned the ball over on a travel with 17 ticks to go. North hit her short jumper, assisted by junior Emma Roberson, with four seconds remaining, and the game went to overtime tied at 60–60.

The teams went back and forth for the first two minutes of overtime, but a three by Morehead, a Cardinal miss and a basket by North had Tufts up 68–64 with 1:57 to go in OT. Then the Cardinals’ Portia Velasco hit a three at the other end, making it a 68–67 lead with 1:25 on the clock.

Jumbo senior tri-captain Hayley Kanner powered toward the hoop and dropped in a floater, giving Tufts a 70–67 margin. St. John Fisher missed its final two shots and was forced to foul. Morehead added the final two points to the Tufts win.

The Jumbos opened play in the NCAA tournament on March 6, topping Pine Manor 87–46. North tied a career high with 25 points for the Jumbos, who moved their winning streak to 19.

The Jumbos took advantage of their height down low and 10 Pine Manor first-half turnovers to build a sizable lead in the first half. Down 5–2 just a couple minutes into play, the Jumbos unleashed 11 unanswered points, eight of those coming from North. After a Gator layup by Khiyana Isaac, the Jumbos went back on a streak, scoring nine more points before the Gators sunk a bucket to bring the score to 21–9. 

With the Jumbos holding on to the 12-point lead with 8:33 left on the clock in the first half, they went on another tear. North scored eight more points, and junior Emma Roberson added five to give the home team the 36–9 advantage. Going into halftime, the Jumbos held a 38–18 lead, with North turning in 21 first-half points.

The Gators cut the Jumbos’ lead to 16 (47–31) with 13:12 left in the second half. That would be as close as the Gators would get, as the Jumbos continued to apply offensive pressure. With just over four minutes left in the game, the Jumbos had their largest lead of the night with a 35-point (77–42) advantage.

North’s 25 points led the Jumbos, and she also had four blocks and 13 rebounds. Kanner and Morehead each finished with 11 points, with Kanner adding three blocks and seven boards. 

Tufts Sports Information Director Paul Sweeney can be reached at paul.sweeney@tufts.edu.