BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Women's Basketball Team suffered a 63-56 non-conference loss to Tufts University on Tuesday night in the second half of a double-header played at Emmanuel's Jean Yawkey Center. The Saints entered the contest on a four-game win streak, while Tufts was coming off a conference loss to Colby College on Saturday afternoon. Tonight's loss dropped the Saints to 8-7 on the season, while the Jumbos improved to 13-3 overall.

Freshman forward Laura Benvenuto (Wyckoff, N.J.) opened the scoring with a put-back down low for the Saints. Tufts sophomore Bre Dufault (Hampden, Mass.) matched it at the other end with a jumper from the right wing. The two teams traded hoops through the 15-minute mark with Tufts holding a slight edge at 8-6. Tufts senior Vanessa Miller (Cincinatti, Ohio) drained a three coming out of an Emmanuel time-out to give the visitors a 13-6 lead.

The Saints began chipping away at the Jumbos' lead. A bucket in the paint by Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) and a lay-up by Jasmine Burwell (Brentwood, N.Y.) were part of a 10-4 Emmanuel run and the Saints trailed 17-16 with 9 minutes remaining in the half. An ensuing 6-0 Tufts' run that spanned two minutes forced an Emmanuel time-out at the 7-minute mark, with the Jumbos up 23-16.

A jumper by freshman forward Ali Rocchi (Fairfield, Conn.) and a free throw from Tiffany Kornegay (Carver, Mass.) pushed the Tufts lead to ten points at the 5-minute mark, 26-16. Another three-ball by Miller and an and-one by Dufault capped the 14-0 Jumbo run, as the visitors held a 31-16 advantage with four minutes to play in the half.

An Emmanuel trey from Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) ended the Saints' drought, as Emmanuel was held scoreless for over five minutes. A lay-up by Liz Daley (Sharon, Mass.) and an and-one by Meghan Kirwan (Melrose, Mass.) helped the Saints return to striking distance before the close of the half. The Jumbos took a 33-25 lead into the break at halftime.

The Jumbos shot well from the floor in the first half, knocking down 14 of 30 field goal attempts (46.7%). Rocchi led the way for Tufts with 10 points, while Kornegay hauled in 9 boards in the opening frame. Tufts' defense forced the Saints into 14 turnovers and the Jumbos capitalized, scoring 18 points off of Emmanuel errors. O'Dwyer was the high-scorer for Saints in the first twenty minutes of play with 7 points and 5 rebounds.

The Saints opened the second half with a couple of hoops off of backdoor cuts and Emmanuel trailed 36-29 with 15:52 on the clock. A three from Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.) cut the Tufts lead to two points, and a put-back by Kirwan knotted the contest at 36-all with 14 minutes left to play. A jumper in the paint by Rocchi ended an 11-3 Emmanuel run to start the second frame.

The momentum then quickly shifted back to the Jumbos. Tufts sophomore Collier Clegg (Evanston, IL) knocked down a deep three from the right wing to cap a 9-0 Tufts run and force an Emmanuel time-out with the score set at 45-36 and 11:46 remaining.

Turnovers continued to plague the Saints late in the second half, as Emmanuel trailed 54-41 at the six-minute mark. Miller drained her fourth three-pointer of the night, putting the Jumbos up 57-43 with five minutes remaining. The Saints then held the Jumbos scoreless for the next four minutes, as Emmanuel went on an 8-0 run and trailed 57-51 with 1:06 remaining.

A backboard three-ball by Ockimey set the score at 59-56 and Tufts made just one of two free throws at the opposite end. A key offensive rebound by the Jumbos gave the visitors possession with just 25.6 ticks on the clock. Despite aggressive defense by the Saints in the closing minute, the Jumbos hit their free throws down the stretch and held on for the 63-56 win.

The Jumbos, who played without starting guard and leading scorer Colleen Hart (Needham, Mass.), got big minutes from Miller in the win. The senior guard pumped in 17 points, including key free throws in the final minute. She neared a triple-double with 10 rebounds and 7 steals in a solid 38-minute effort.

Koregay also finished with big numbers for Tufts, as she notched 13 points, a game-high 16 rebounds and dished out 7 assists. Rocchi chipped in with 14 points and 5 boards for the Jumbos.

Emmanuel was led by Kirwan's 15 points and 5 rebounds. O'Dwyer recorded her 5th career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Casey Shevlin (Medford, N.Y.) dished out 7 assists in the effort.

The Saints will return to action on Thursday (1/27), when they travel across the street to take on the Sharks of Simmons College in Colleges of the Fenway rivalry beginning at 7pm. Tufts will host Connecticut College on Friday night at 8pm