The Tufts Daily - Monday, February 24, 2020

LEGO joins ranks of competition-based reality TV on FOX see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 4

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Jumbos to play Ephs in NESCAC semifinals, defeat Cardinals in quarterfinals

Men’s basketball defeats Hamilton in NESCAC quarterfinals, to play Trinity in semifinal matchup see SPORTS / PAGE 7

SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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VOLUME LXXIX, ISSUE 20

Monday, February 24, 2020

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

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Tufts Community Union Senate holds its regular meeting in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room on Feb. 9.

TCU hears 4 supplementary funding requests, 2 abstracts

by Greg Saccone Staff Writer

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) passed four supplementary funding requests and discussed two abstracts for future resolutions in its meeting last night in the Sophia Gordon multipurpose room.

The Filipinx Student Union requested $2,426 to host a martial arts workshop, which the Allocations Board (ALBO) recommended in full. A Boston area martial arts instructor will host the session for $2,000, and an additional $426 of special

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training gear will also need to be purchased for the workshop.

TCU Senate approved the request with 28 senators in favor and none opposed.

Ears for Peers requested $1,527 for its once-per-semester bonding and training retreat, but ALBO recommended only $1,374. The requested included costs for food, transportation and lodging.

TCU Senate approved the ALBOrecommended request of $1,374 in full.

Jumbocast, a news media organization that reports on Tufts sports, requested $104 to cover the costs of new equipment audio recording equipment, which ALBO For breaking news, our content archive and exclusive content, visit tuftsdaily.com @tuftsdaily

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recommended in full. The requested equipment included a new microphone, audio interface and cable.

TCU Senate approved the requested $104 in full.

180 Degrees Consulting requested $400 for a consulting forum on March 28, which ALBO recommended in full.

TCU Senate approved the requested $400 in full.

TCU Parliamentarian Finn McGarghan presented an abstract of a resolution that would ask Tufts faculty to reevaluate the World Civilization Foundation Requirement. The abstract argues that the

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requirement should be updated to better prepare students to live in an increasingly interconnected and diverse world.

McGarghan presented an abstract for another resolution, which calls on Tufts to rename the Latino Center to the Tufts Latinx Center. The abstract argues that the change would better encapsulate the diversity of the Latinx community on campus.

After hearing updates on ongoing developments and projects from its members in an open forum, the TCU Senate adjourned. Senators will reconvene next on March 1.

NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................3 ARTS & LIVING.......................4

FUN & GAMES.........................5 SPORTS............................ BACK

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Monday, February 24, 2020

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THE TUFTS DAILY Ryan Shaffer Editor in Chief

EDITORIAL Alex Viveros Nathan Kyn

Managing Editors Tys Sweeney

Associate Editor

Robert Kaplan Alejandra Carrillo Connor Dale Abbie Gruskin Natasha Mayor Matt McGovern Sara Renkert Anton Shenk Seohyun Shim Daniel Weinstein Maddie Aitken Carolina Espinal Alex Janoff Renner Kwittken Bella Maharaj Stephanie Rifkin Sarah Sandlow Elli Sol Strich

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Amelia Becker Sid Anand Jessie Newman Sean Ong Michael Shames Fina Short Madeleine Aitkin Claire Fraise Jillian Collins Evelyn McClure Marc Weisglass

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Ryan Eggers Tommy Gillespie Sam Heyman Danny Klain Tuna Margalit Christopher Panella Yas Salon Colette Smith Megan Szostak Geoffrey Tobia Devina Bhalla Hannah Harris Allie Birger Avery Caulfield Paloma Delgado Mason Goldberg Amulya Mutnuri Emily Nadler Eileen Ong Priya Padhye Liz Shelbred Michael Wilkinson Caroline Wolinsky Carys Kong Annabel Nied Julia Zweifach Jake Freudberg Julia Atkins Liam Finnegan Aiden Herrod Savannah Mastrangelo David Meyer Haley Rich Noah Stancroff Delaney Tantillo Sam Weidner Arpan Barua Jacob Dreyer Matthew Goguen Henry Gorelik Pranav Jain Ananda Kao Sruthi Kocherlakota Helen Thomas-McLean Jason Schwartz Eric Spencer Austin Clementi

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Anne Marie Burke Nicole Garay Evan Slack

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Kristina Marchand Production Director Sam Russo Kevin Zhang Daniel Montoya Isabella Montoya Alice Yoon

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Rebecca Barker Jillian Rolnick Anna Hirshman David Levitsky Hannah Wells Abigail Zielinski Cole Wolk Sophie Elia Yiyun Tom Guan Makenna Law Grace Prendergast Mariel Priven Kate Seklir Ethan Steinberg Rae Sun Russell Yip Brendan Hartnett Sam Chung Julian Perry Michelle Roitgarts Luke Allocco Alexis Serino

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BUSINESS Jonah Zwillinger Executive Business Director

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The steps on the President’s Lawn are pictured on Oct. 13, 2018.

Events on the Hill — Week of Feb. 23 MONDAY “TUPIT Screening: ‘True Justice'” Details: The Tufts University Prison Initiative of Tisch College (TUPIT) will host a free screening of the documentary “True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight For Equality” (2019), which relates historical injustices of the U.S. prison system through the personal narrative of Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Dinner will be provided.

Where and when: Alumnae Lounge, 7–10 p.m.

Sponsors: TUPIT and The Petey Greene Program TUESDAY “Stories from the Archive of Loss: Lively Ruination in Mill Land Mumbai” Details: Maura Finkelstein, an assistant professor of anthropology at Muhlenberg College, will explore labor relations and forms of expression among textile mill workers in Mumbai, India, referencing personal research in the field.

Where and when: Room 702, Cabot Intercultural Center, 5:30–7:30 p.m.

Sponsors: The Tufts Diversity Fund, the Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies, the Department of Anthropology and the programs in International Relations and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies WEDNESDAY “Parnassus’ Author Talk” Details: William Crowley, a senior at the College of the Holy Cross, and Michael Ragusa, a senior at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, will visit Tufts to discuss their recent book, “Stand: The Hooded Book 1” (2019). Parnassus, a creative writing student organization, will host the authors as they focus on the the process of writing and publication as undergraduate students.

Where and when: Varis Lecture Hall, The Perry and Marty Granoff Music Center, 8–9 p.m.

Sponsor: Parnassus THURSDAY “MINE: A Family History of Carbon, Race, Place, and Planetary Health” Details: Amy Moran-Thomas, an associate professor of anthropology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will deliver this week’s Hoch Cunningham

Environmental Lecture. Moran-Thomas will discuss the close and interwoven connections between the consequences of the fossil fuel industry and political, social and economic ills.

Where and when: Multipurpose room, Curtis Hall, 12–1 p.m.

Sponsor: Environmental Studies Program FRIDAY “Making Model Microbiomes”

Details: Assistant Professor of Biology Benjamin Wolfe will lead this week’s Science, Technology, and Society lunch seminar, referencing his own experience in microbiology to discuss modeling real-life systems.

Lunch will be provided.

Where and when: Multipurpose room, Sophia Gordon Hall, 12–1:15 p.m.

Sponsors: The Department of Biology, the Data Intensive Studies Center and the Science, Technology, and Society Program

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Features

3 Monday, February 24, 2020

Ross Sonnenblick From seniors to citizens

Picture an amoeba

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enior spring to social security. On the hill to over the hill. Graduation to … grandchildren? Here’s what seniors have to say before all is said and done.

Way before Charlotte Lenz was a senior, with fewer than 100 days remaining until her college graduation, her mother gave her a series of significant gifts: her old molecular modeling kit, a kid’s encyclopedia of science and a little toy microscope.

“My interest in science came from her interest in science,” Lenz said.

That interest has led Lenz to the brink of graduating with a major in biology.

Lenz has also picked up an unanticipated minor in art history, but her keen eye for the aesthetic beauties of the past does not lead her to view the future through rose-colored glasses. Instead, she said about her future, “I picture an amoeba, something … changing forms based on the second or millisecond.”

Next year, Lenz might find gainful employment as a medical scribe or in some sort of position requiring a balance of clinical and bench work. Then, after a few years, she fully intends to enter medical school. At least, that’s the trajectory that she imagines for herself today.

“I might go a couple weeks and be like ‘Man, I really want to be a cheese scientist,’” Lenz said.

In her current microbiology course, Lenz has been learning about the microbes in cheese, and she has entertained the notion of writing a combined science book and cookbook someday.

“I’m worried about just saying no to opportunities and then waking up and being like, ‘Oh, I’m old. I could have pursued this, and who knows where it would have taken me?’” she said.

At Tufts, Lenz has bucked hard against the stereotype of the cookie-cutter, pre-med biology major. She competes on the varsity sailing team. She passed up Tufts’ early-assurance program for its medical school. She studied abroad in Spain last spring.

Nonetheless, Lenz loves biology. “I think science is really beautiful in a lot of contexts,” she said. Thus, when she described the future as something “pretty ominous and flexible and not at all finite,” she can rest assured that one way or another, her passion for science will guide her to a satisfying career.

In the meantime, Lenz wants to capitalize on her remaining months at Tufts. She asks herself, “What am I going to do to make sure that every single day, I feel like I’ve done something?”

Mostly, she answers herself by spending valuable time with friends. “I’m studying, but I’m also making sure I’m getting a glass of wine with someone … or I’m going to a friend’s birthday,” Lenz said. “I’m trying to do something where I’m getting out of my second-floor kitchenette of the SEC [Science and Engineering Complex].”

“Getting out of my second-floor kitchenette of the SEC” sounds like a euphemism for “graduating,” but looking ahead, Lenz said, “I’m very much a proponent of ‘Life never throws anything at you that you can’t handle.’

It’s just [about] building support systems.”

Of course, in the short term, Lenz wouldn’t mind it if life threw a job at her. The future might resemble an amoeba under the little toy microscope her mother once gifted her, but Lenz will forge ahead with her support systems firmly in place.

Ross Sonnenblick is a senior studying psychology. Ross can be reached at ross. sonnenblick@tufts.edu.

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Monday, February 24, 2020

ARTS&LIVING

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Aidan Menchaca Beginner Mentality

‘Lego Masters’ entertains with stacked competition

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by Daniel Klain

Advice from masters

here is a photo of Eugene Ysaÿe where he looks at his violin, face to face, as though asking it: “what are you and what do you want with me?” This image, telling of the love affair between the performer and his instrument, has always stuck with me. Indeed, the question with playing is always: how can you play the violin, so it doesn’t play you?

A few months ago, I was looking for a book on playing the violin written by a famous violinist. Surprisingly, I realized that there weren’t really any. Maybe musicians don’t like to write as much as play, but I was lucky to find a century-old book online.

“Violin Mastery” (1919), a collection of interviews with famous violinists, was a strange step into the mythical age of Ysaÿe, Kreisler and Heifetz. One hundred years later these masters give surprisingly fresh answers to the challenges of playing and art.

After playing for two years, I’m at the point where I can attempt a lot of music but fall short of realizing it exactly. You might think that the advice of these masters would be to play more and more scales, but this is curiously not the case. One of the elements of playing that all these famed musicians agree on is the importance of interpretation over technical ability and that a violinist should be a well-rounded individual. As Ysaÿe explained: “[the violinist] must be a violinist, a thinker, a poet, a human being, he must have known hope, love, passion and despair, he must have run the gamut of the emotions in order to express them all in his playing.”

I think this is more intuitive than it sounds. I had been living and growing with the music I love for years before I played any of it on the violin. Bach, Beethoven and Glass are saturated with the memories of my life. Now that I’m at a place to, again, attempt their works I feel that I can create something unique and that I have a deep personal investment in their music.

Other advice I’ve gleaned from the masters is not to be afraid to compose as a musician. Fritz Kreisler said that when he began to compose and arrange music he wanted “to create a repertory” for himself, which would reflect his own personal understanding of the instrument. As musicians first and foremost, these violinists created some exceptional works which pay homage to the violin tradition. Ysaÿe’s “Six Sonatas” (1923) are less popular than those of their model, Bach, but they are still challenging and fresh today. “L’Aurore” from Sonata No. 5 is strikingly minimal, quiet and full of open space, looking forward into the 21st century. I still have far to go in this respect, but my many recordings of fragments lie in wait. I’m excited by their model to keep working!

The final message from the 20th century I received was, of course, the importance of work and commitment. The music theorist, Percy Goetschius, explained to Samuel Gardner: “I do not congratulate you on having talent. That is a gift. But I do congratulate you on being able to work hard!”

“Violin mastery” is really waking up each day ready to recommit yourself to the beauty and struggle of music. Some unknown day you might suddenly stumble upon success — when you’re able to play for the world what was locked away inside.

Aidan Menchaca is a senior studying history. Aidan can be reached at aidan.menchaca@tufts.edu.

Arts Editor

Remember the days of childhood where you’d spend hours stacking LEGO brick on LEGO brick to create something? Fox remembers. This month it debuted its new reality competition show “LEGO Masters” (2020–).

The concept is pretty simple. Ten pairs start out and each week they are tasked to build something grand out of LEGOs. Two judges then determine whose creation is the worst based on the criteria given, and a pair is sent home.

While the setup of the show seems straightforward, the producers and creators of the show go to great lengths to entertain. The show goes over, above and beyond to be self-aware. At the beginning of each episode we can hear the camera crew, acknowledging its existence. Host Will Arnett addresses contestants multiple times basically saying, ‘by this point in this show normally X would happen.’ Arnett also, like many reality competition hosts, will break the fourth wall to do his best Jim Halpert impersonation and see if you too found the thing that was just said awkwardly funny. All of this just so that “LEGO Masters” can be modern and aware of the fact that it is a TV show.

That’s not to mention the absurdity of this show. The set is humongous, with a balcony for Arnett and the two judges to stand on and watch the contests from above, and a giant doomsday-like clock timing them. Also, the winners of the entire competition get $100,000. If I had known when I was nine that I could win that much from building legos, I certainly would not be writing for the Tufts Daily right now.

The pairs selected to compete are a rather diverse group. There’s everything from a duo of friends who met through cosplay to a pair of retired moms pursuing their passion. “LEGO Masters” also takes the time to show you interactions between the pairs, increasing the bond between viewer and participant. Like all reality competition shows, there will definitely be fan favorites and villains as the season goes on.

In the first week contestants were asked to design a dream park, each with their own theme and a moving structure. In only 15 hours, the teams built incredible structures featuring multi-level rollercoasters and even a moving ferris wheel. It’s remarkable and accessible. Since many people spent time trying to build a LEGO spaceship as children, only to watch a parent as they freak out because one piece wouldn’t go into its place, they can marvel in the feats of

VIA IMDB

A promotional poster for “Lego Masters” (2020–) is pictured. the contestants’ designs. Some contestants’ moving structures don’t work — regardless, they’re incredibly impressive.

At the end of the first week, the contestants are all given a mulligan, and nobody goes home. Again the show zags and lets you know that all the others just zig.

All in all, “LEGO Masters” is a solid watch. It’s incredibly entertaining thanks to Arnett and its cast of contestants. It definitely has the capacity to hook you in if you want it to.

It’s interesting how “LEGO Masters” seems like part of a growing trend of Fox’s content strategy. As cable television continues to struggle to bring in viewers, it seems like reality competition shows still

have a foothold. Over the past few years Fox has not just created shows in a similar vein to classics like “The Bachelor” (2002–) or “Survivor” (2000–), but shows in the style of cable television like “Project Runway” (2004–) on Bravo or “The Great Food Truck Race” (2010–) on Food Network.

These shows aren’t necessarily the content you seek out in your busy time during the school year, but they’re the comfort television you find yourself watching when you go back home for break and have access to cable television again. It’s simple, it’s entertaining and you can watch a marathon from 9 p.m. to midnight without really noticing. It’ll be interesting if the same comes from “LEGO Masters.”

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Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20)

A personal dream beckons. You can see the road to take. Adapt as you go. Overcome old fears. A respected mentor inspires action.

Difficulty Level: Feeling good about layout when you know no one will see it.

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Monday, February 24, 2020 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Matt Goguen Keeping With the 617

A short guide to New England Patriots’ off-season

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AIDAN CHANG / THE TUFTS DAILY

Senior Eric Savage shoots a free throw at the NESCAC quarterfinals game against Hamilton in Cousens Gym on Feb. 22.

Men’s basketball defeats Hamilton in NESCAC quarterfinals

by Alex Sharp

Contributing Writer

When the men’s basketball team successfully scores from all three levels, they’re very difficult to beat. That’s what happened Saturday afternoon at Cousens Gym as No. 1 seed Tufts defeated No. 8 Hamilton 83–66 in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament.

Sophomore guard Tyler Aronson got the scoring started on the first possession of the game, draining a 3-pointer off an assist from sophomore guard Carson Cohen.

“For the past couple weeks my shot hasn’t been as it usually is,” Aronson said.

“Hitting that first one and having my teammates have confidence in me and trust in me was great. Getting off to the right start gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the game.”

For the next two plus minutes, both teams played uptempo, albeit sloppy basketball. Aronson came away with a steal only to have his pocket picked in transition seconds later by Hamilton senior guard and co-captain Sayo Denloye, who then missed a fast break layup. On the next Tufts possession, Aronson shuffled his feet and was called for a traveling violation, again turning the ball back over to Hamilton.

A few possessions later, junior guard Brennan Morris found junior center Luke Rogers, sealing his defender in the paint.

Rogers caught the post entry pass from Morris, squared his body to the basket and took advantage of a considerable size advantage to convert the bucket, extending the lead to 5–0. Hamilton quickly responded with a 3-pointer from sophomore guard/ forward Eric Anderson on the next possession. Consecutive layups from senior guard and co-captain Eric Savage and junior center and co-captain Max Oppenheim stretched the Jumbo lead to 9–3.

After a missed 3-pointer from Hamilton, Savage was at it again. He received the ball on the left side of the court and with a defender draped all over him and made his way around to the right side of the key. After finally finding a slight crease to the basket, Savage banked home a layup through contact, giving him an and one. On Tufts’ next offensive possession, Savage began to

drive in before snapping a quick crossover dribble. The defender, likely anticipating another drive to the hoop, went flying and Savage made him pay by calmly draining the pull-up jumper.

While Tufts had begun to find offensive success through Savage, Hamilton converted only one field goal in the first six plus minutes of play. A layup from senior guard and co-captain Kena Gilmour ended the drought and sparked an 8–0 Hamilton run that cut Tufts’ lead to 14–11. That was the closest Hamilton would get.

With contributions from several Jumbos, including Aronson, Rogers, Morris, Savage and first-year guard Dylan Thoerner, Tufts went up 37–23 going into halftime.

The beginning of the second half could have been coined the Luke Rogers show.”

The center repeatedly took advantage of mismatches against Hamilton’s undersized defense. On Tufts’ first possession after the break Rogers grabbed an offensive rebound off of a Cohen miss and laid it in for two. On the next possession, Rogers corralled another offensive board off of a Savage miss and was fouled on the put back attempt, and he converted one of the two free throws. Rogers lost his defender when Tufts regained possession, and Aronson found him underneath for a two-handed dunk. On Tufts’ fourth possession of the half, Rogers got another paint touch. He worked through a double team and got fouled on a shot attempt.

Again, Rogers knocked down one of the two free throw attempts. With no answer for the big man, Hamilton sent three players after Rogers when he touched the ball the next time down the floor. Rogers still threw a shot up, but just missed it off the back rim.

After scoring Tufts’ first seven points of the half, Rogers earned a well-deserved rest. But Oppenheim came into the game and scored four quick points in just under two minutes, before Rogers came back into the game.

“They’re two of the best bigs in the NESCAC, and they really get at it in practice” Savage said of Rogers and Oppenheim. “We identified that mismatch in the scout the week before, and

we knew they had nobody who could stop our post play.”

Aronson made the lead 66–42 with 11:18 to go. The mid-range game is often emphasized less than threes and layups, but the pull-up jumper might be Aronson’s most deadly offensive weapon.

“Growing up, my dad always told me the midrange is the lost art of the game,” Aronson said. “I always worked on it in my driveway, and it developed from there. It’s my favorite shot in the game.”

After Aronson’s bucket, Hamilton went on a 12–1 run that saw Tufts’ lead cut to 13 points. Denloye scored the final seven points of the run for Hamilton — his only points of the game. Morris got Tufts back on track with a 3 off an assist from Cohen.

After a Hamilton turnover, Savage canned a 3 of his own making the lead 73–54 with just under seven minutes remaining. After shooting just one of four from three in the first half, the Jumbos caught fire from behind the arc in the second, making six 3s on 13 attempts.

“I think my friends and I do a great job scoring at all three levels,” Savage said.

“Luke Rogers garners a ton of attention in the post and that opens up the 3-point line. Once we start hitting our 3s they kind of have to close out and run us off the line.

Then that opens up the midrange game.”

In the last few minutes, Tufts did not let up by any means. With the game easily in hand, Savage leaped over his team’s bench to save a loose ball before hopping back onto the court and hustling down to the other end.

The final score was 83–66. Savage led the balanced Tufts offense with 20 points.

Aronson (15 points), Rogers (13 points) and Morris (10 points) joined him in double figures. Thoerner and Oppenheim each chipped in nine points off the bench. Eric Anderson (19 points) and Kena Gilmour (16 points) led Hamilton in scoring.

Tufts hosts Trinity this Saturday at 5 p.m. in the semifinal. The winner of that game will play for the championship on Sunday against the winner of the other semifinal between Amherst and Colby.

“Any NESCAC game is a battle, especially in the playoffs,” Savage said. “We’re looking forward to the battle.”

his recent season for the New England Patriots was a complete bust due to an early exit at the hands of the Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans. As I walked out of Gillette Stadium following Tennessee’s Logan Ryan pick six to seal the victory against the Patriots, I immediately believed that Tom Brady would not be playing in a New England Patriots uniform next season. Core players Matthew Slater and Devin McCourty were going to retire, and the defense was set to crumble; it seemed like the Patriots dynasty was officially over. I might be dramatizing the situation due to the fact that there’s a low chance that all of these scenarios will happen; however, as a Patriots fan you must think of the worst-case scenario. No matter what course the front office takes this offseason, the team, particularly the offense, needs a reset. Let’s get to it.

Retain Tom Brady and surround the offense with weapons I love Tom Brady with every bone in my body, and I can’t imagine him playing in another Patriots uniform. Alas, the nightmare scenario could occur. But what the Patriots need to do this off-season is to not be stingy with their money: re-sign Tom Brady to a reasonable contract! He’s given this organization 20 years of success, and he deserves big market money. Once he gets the captain of the offense secured, can Bill Belichick surround Brady with a competent offense? A.J. Green is an unrestricted free agent this off-season and has played alongside Andy Dalton in Cincinnati — yuck. Additionally, Stefon Diggs has vocalized his displeasure with the Minnesota Vikings organization and is a trade candidate this off-season. If the Patriots are willing to shell some big-money contracts to either of those star players, the Patriots’ offense will be firing at an elite level during the 2020 off-season.

Draft a tight end Although this year’s draft class doesn’t have a deep pool of tight end prospects, there are plenty of players who could be a massive boost to the Patriots’ offense. When the Patriots have a competent tight end — no, not Matt LaCosse — they succeed in the passing game. A threat over the middle will draw the double team of Julian Edelman, who struggled to get open last season as opposing defenses focused their game plans on the Super Bowl MVP. One particular prospect stands out: Thaddeus Moss. A force for the Louisiana State University Tigers, Randy Moss’ son totaled 47 receptions for 570 yards and four touchdowns. Although those numbers don’t jump off the page, Moss has a strong, athletic frame that Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels could use in their game plans.

During this free agency period, which kicks off in less than a month, the Patriots need to be bold. Instead of reverting back to its tendencies of being dormant during the off-season, the front office needs to open its wallets and sign big free agents while letting others walk: linebackers Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy should be able to have salary cap space to make major moves. As much as I loved Collins and Van Noy, the Patriots’ defense will not suffer by losing those two players. In short, this off-season could be a nightmare and cause a lot of pain for Patriots fans. Unless you’re a masochist, losing Tom Brady will hurt — but we must move on if that occurs. This off-season could provide a framework for yet another victorious 2020 season. In Bill we trust.

Matt Goguen is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Matt can be reached at matthew.goguen@tufts.edu.

8 Monday, February 24, 2020

Sports

tuftsdaily.com

Undefeated women’s basketball advances to NESCAC semifinals

by Ananda Kao

Assistant Sports Editor

The No. 1 women’s basketball team continued its undefeated season after beating Wesleyan 58–48 in the NESCAC tournament quarterfinals on Saturday.

As the top seed, the Jumbos are set to host both semifinal games on Saturday and the finals on Sunday.

Although the score remained close, the game consisted of only two ties and three lead changes, with the Jumbos finding their biggest lead with just under nine minutes left in the game.

Tufts showed strong defense throughout the game, holding Wesleyan to under 50 points.

“Defensively, we contained them really well, held their best players to a minimum and made them uncomfortable,” junior guard/forward Emily Briggs said.

Focusing on defense, which has been the bread and butter for the team this season, was a point of emphasis for the Jumbos in the practices leading up to the game.

“We had a great defensive game, great communication and that was something we worked on throughout the week,” coach Jill Pace said. “It was nice to see that pay off.”

Senior guard/forward and co-captain Erica DeCandido put up a gamehigh 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Jumbos. Sophomore guard Molly Ryan added 13 points, while senior guard Sadie Otley put up 10. Although it was one of their lower-scoring games, the Jumbos were able to maintain their lead and stay ahead toward the end of the game, even when the Cardinals came within striking distance in the final minutes of the game.

“It was definitely a slower game offensively, so that was kind of tough,” Briggs said. “But I think that we made big shots in big moments and big plays in big moments to extend the lead.”

The Jumbos made up for the slow offense by holding strong on their defense throughout the entire four quarters.

“You can tell by the score that our defensive effort was there, which is always great, especially when some shots aren’t falling — you can always rely on your defense,” Pace said.

This loss ends Wesleyan’s NESCAC run as the bottom seed in the bracket.

Sophomore guard Maddie Clark led the Cardinals with 16 points, while sophomore guard Marina Petruzzi added 12 points and senior guard and co-captain Ava Tompkins grabbed 11 rebounds.

Tufts and Wesleyan last met during the regular season on Jan. 10. The Jumbos won the matchup 78–60.

“It was our first NESCAC game, and we didn’t play great defense last time,” Briggs said about the last game against Wesleyan. “That was our main focus because we hadn’t really had a solid defensive game in a few games, so this was definitely a game where we improved a ton.”

This focus on defense proved successful, as Tufts improved from allowing 60 points to only 48, as well as limiting the Cardinals’ sophomore guard and co-captain Caleigh Ryan to only six points. Ryan has been averaging 13.2 points per game for the Cardinals and put up 11 in their last matchup against the Jumbos.

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

Senior Erica DeCandido goes for a layup at the NESCAC quarterfinals game against Wesleyan in Cousens Gym on Feb. 22.

“We really focused on defense and we held them today to our goal of points, which was really awesome, so it was nice to see all the hard work in practice pay off,” Briggs said. “Obviously, we always focus on offense too, but defense is really what we pride ourselves in.”

After this win, Tufts will host fourth seed Williams in the semifinals on Saturday at 12 p.m. The Ephs are a familiar foe for the Jumbos, as the teams just recently squared off in the last game of regular season play. The Jumbos came out on top, winning by a margin of 76–60 and sealing off their first perfect season in program history.

Amherst and Bowdoin will also travel to Cousens Gym and play at 2 p.m. on Saturday for the other semifinal matchup. The winner of each game plays again on Sunday in the NESCAC finals. The men’s team, also the No. 1 seed, will host both semifinals games of its tournament on Saturday, too.

“I’m just excited for both of our programs and happy for our team that we can be in Cousens, hoping that we get a great atmosphere there to cheer us on,” Pace said.

Last season, Tufts upset Amherst 47–46 in the NESCAC semifinals as well as Bowdoin 75–69 in the finals

to win the NESCAC championship.

The Jumbos went on to beat the Polar Bears this season 97–88 and the Mammoths 48–46 in overtime after losing to both teams last year during regular season play.

“I’m looking forward to having fun.

I think this is the best time of the year, when we get to play against really good teams and play for championships,” Briggs said. “Obviously, we are taking it one game at a time, but I’m just looking forward to playing really hard. It’s really fun when we play as a team and hopefully [get] the outcome we want.”