MEDFORD - Senior guard Tiffany Kornegay (Carver, MA) scored 14 points with nine rebounds and four steals as the Tufts women's basketball team cruised to a 75-54 NESCAC win over Trinity College on Friday night at Cousens Gym. The Jumbos clinched one of the four home berths into the conference championship that starts February 18.
Tufts never trailed in tonight's contest, taking a 49-22 halftime lead and not looking back. The Jumbos improved to 18-4 overall and 7-1 in NESCAC entering tomorrow's showdown against first-place, #1 in the nation, unbeaten and defending national champion Amherst. Tip-off at Cousens is 2 pm. Trinity lost for the fourth time in five games, falling to 7-11 overall and 1-6 in the league. The Bantams travel to Bates for a 2 pm start tomorrow.
The 75 points scored by the Jumbos tonight were the team's most in a month and the third-best total of the season. First-year point guard Kelsey Morehead (Foster City, CA) shot 3 for 5 on three-pointers and finished with 13 points. Senior co-captain Kate Barnosky (Huntington Station, NY) had 11 points with nine rebounds and three assists.
The Bantams also had three players score in double-digits. Junior Carly Napier (Pittsford, NY) had 14 while senoir tri-captains Michelle Royals (Torrington, CT) and Kaitlin Ciarleglio (Waterbury, CT) both had 10.
The Jumbos blew the game open in the middle of the first half. Trinity was within 17-11 after Ciarleglio's lay-up at the 14-minute mark, but Tufts out-scored the Bantams 20-4 during the next nine minutes-plus to lead 37-15 following two Barnosky free throws. Tufts led by 27 at halftime, with five Jumbos scoring seven or more points led by Kornegay's 10. Royals led Trinity at intermission with seven points.
The Tufts lead only dipped below 20 a few times late in the second half. It peaked at 30 (65-35) on a three-pointer by sophomore Caitlin McClure (Arlington, VA) with 10:17 remaining in regulation.
The hosts finished with a 45-31 advantage in rebounds. They made 8 of 18 three-point shots (44.4 percent) and hit 9 of 11 free throws (81.8 percent). First-year Hayley Kanner (Scarsdale, NY) finished at five points with five rebounds and three blocks.
Trinity, which was held to 32.1 percent (18/56) shooting, got seven rebounds and two blocks by junior Heather Lyhne (Wethersfield, CT). Sophomore Moriah Sweeney (Ramsey, NJ) had six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The Bantams were just 14 for 24 (58.3 percent) from the line.
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