Medford, Mass. – The visiting Trinity College Bantams suffered a 74-39 defeat against the top-ranked Tufts University Jumbos in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's basketball action this evening at Cousens Gym.  Trinity drops to 11-8 overall and 2-5 in the NESCAC with its fifth loss in a row, while Tufts improves to 21-0 overall and 8-0 in conference play.  Freshman guard/forward Peace Kabari (Manchester, N.H.) paced the Bantams with 11 points and five rebounds. Junior forward Melissa Baptista led all scorers with 22 points and added six rebounds, while Lauren Dillon added 11 points and seven assists for Tufts.  Trinity visits NESCAC rival Bates tomorrow at 3 p.m. and Tufts hosts No. 2-ranked Amherst in a battle of undefeated teams.

The Jumbos reeled off a 15-2 run during the first 6:55 of the game. Senior captain Josie Lee buried a three-point shot with 4:59 left in the first and then Baptista ended the spurt with five consecutive points.  Trinity managed just seven points in the first quarter and six in the second against a stifling Jumbo defense.  Tufts took a 21-7 lead after the first stanza, and scored the first 20 points of the second quarter for a 41-7 lead with under three minutes left in the first half.  Trinity played hard throughout and outscored Tufts in the final period, 15-11, as sophomore guard Micaela Montini (Derby, Conn.) scored four points in the quarter for the visitors.