Mar 09, 2012
Kellie Ring's steal and two free throws with 15 seconds to play helped No. 10-ranked St. Thomas hold off unranked Tufts, 50-47, in Friday night's Sweet 16 playoff game in Chicago, Ill.
Sarah Smith made all seven of her shots and had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Taylor Young scored all 15 of her points in the second half for the Tommies (29-1).
St. Thomas became the first women's conference team in 12 seasons to reach the NCAA Elite Eight, ran its win streak to 29, and tied a school record for season victories.
The Tommies built a 42-28 lead with 9:14 to play, but the Jumbos used a 17-4 run to pull within 46-45 with just under 2:00 left. Smith's putback gave UST a 48-45 lead with 59 seconds to go, but Tufts answered with a basket to pull within 48-47 with 30 seconds left.
The Toms missed two free throws with 27 seconds left, giving the Jumbos a chance to win or go ahead on the next possession. After a time out and a delay to a clock problem, Ring stole the inbounds pass and was fouled on her way to a layup. She calmly sank both chances, and Tufts was unable to get the tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
UST helped hold Tufts (23-7) to just 25 percent shooting, and had a 39-31 rebounding advantage. Despite the two late misses, St. Thomas made 22-of-26 at the foul line and held its 20th opponent this season under 55 points.
Maggie Weiers chipped in 10 rebounds and Kelly Brandenburg scored eight points off the bench for St. Thomas.
Kate Barnosky had 11 points to lead Tufts, which had a 12-0 advantage in 3-point scoring. Tufts received 21 bench points but its starting five was held to just 26 points.
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