MEDFORD - The 14-1 Jumbos allowed just 16 points in the second half to pull away from 5-10 Trinity with a 70-46 victory. Tufts remains undefeated in conference play at 3-0, while the Bantams drop to the sub-500 mark of 1-3. On her way to scoring 17 points on the day, Hayley Kanner, who is already the all-time leader in blocks, hit yet another milestone in Tufts women's basketball history. The senior from Scarsdale, NY became the 11th Jumbo woman to reach 1,000 career points.

Hayley Kanner eclipses 1,000 career points

The first half featured a tight, back-and-forth game that saw neither team get too far out of reach. Today's start was slower for the Jumbos, as would be expected on day two of a two-day doubleheader. Both sides went up by five points, but that would be the highest deficit all half.

Junior Bantam Mackenzie Griffin got off to a hot start with six points on 3 of 3 shooting in the first five minutes of action. But Kanner matched her on the other end, scoring seven points within the same span.

Trinity continued to knock down shots however, as junior Christina Raiti nailed a three-pointer followed by a steal from fellow junior Alexa Menard who then put the ball back up and into the hoop while also drawing a foul.

On the ensuing Jumbo possession, Hannah Foley responded with a long ball that ended a nearly five-minute long scoreless streak.

The half wound down with the teams proceeding to trade baskets. Lauren Dillon sunk one from downtown, but senior Bantam Taylor Higgins answered with a jumper. With under two to play, Foley drained another one from long range, but Raiti wasted no time with her own deep ball response.

The teams went into the break knotted at 30. Tufts had seven different scorers, none of whom broke double-digits, while four different players scored for Trinity. Griffin led all scorers at the half with 11 points, while fellow teammate Higgins tallied 10 as the Bantams shot 50% from the floor, about 16% more than the Jumbos allow opponents.

Kanner led the way for the Jumbos with eight points in the frame, while Foley added three assists to her two three-pointers.

Higgins ignited a five-point run at the beginning of the second half with her only make from beyond the arc, but the streak was cut short by yet another Foley trey. 

The teams again traded lay-ups with Dillon and Higgins converting, but then Kanner got her 1,000th point at 15:56 left in the half. The following play was one of the best of the game as Emma Roberson stole the ball and executed a flawless give and go with Kanner.

The game stayed close until about halfway through the second stanza when the Jumbos used a 13-1 run to pull ahead. Melissa Baptista did her part with a steal and score and then another jumper later. Also included in the streak was Foley's fourth smooth stroke from downtown. To cap off the run, Josie Lee pickpocketed Menard and eventually dished a sweet pass to Roberson who laid it in.

In a span of five minutes, the Jumbos quickly pushed their advantage to 14 and never looked back.

Griffin ended the contest tied for the game-high 17 points with Kanner and added seven rebounds, while Higgins finished with 12 points.

In addition to the 17 points, Kanner had eight rebounds and three blocks. Foley recorded 12 points on four threes and grabbed eight boards. Baptista finished with nine points and Michela North scored eight points with eight boards.

The Bantams were kept to just 31.6% shooting in the second half and as a team recorded just three assists to the Jumbos' 19.

The Jumbos head back out on the road to take on non-conference opponent Emmanuel on Wednesday at 7:00pm before returning to Cousens for another NESCAC matchup on Saturday, January 24th vs. Bates.

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