Trust, intensity propel women’s basketball to a 11-game winning streak, Ncaa sweet 16

Matt Goguen

Keeping

Unexpected panic

Following their incredible second-half surge where they won 26 of their final 32 games, the Boston Celtics finished the 2021–22 season with an NBA Finals berth and two wins away from the prized Larry O’Brien trophy. The Celtics continued their dominance into 2023, where they led the league for most of the season. However, they are currently in a short slump, losing four out of their last six contests. While many Celtics fans hit the panic button immediately following a tough loss, there wasn’t much need for hysteria — until now. Following their brutal overtime defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, stress is building in Boston.

by Keriann Slayton Staff Writer

In the opening weekend of NCAA Tournament play, the Jumbos established themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the national stage through dominant performances on their home court. Fresh off of a NESCAC Championship, Tufts continued its momentum against the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and secured a commanding 72–57 victory to kick off its postseason campaign. A huge 11–0 run in the second quarter gave the Jumbos a comfortable lead that they would never relinquish, and contributions from throughout the roster displayed the wealth of talent that resides in Cousens Gymnasium.

Junior forward Maggie Russell led the scoring with 17 points, followed closely by fellow classmates guard Samantha Sousa and guard Hannah Kelly who notched 14 and 10 points respectively. First-year guard Sophia Davis shined in the second half, adding 9 points and four rebounds in her 16 minutes of action.

“I think we were moving the ball really well and just finding the best, open shots and just executing our sets really well,” Russell said. “We were just playing really well together and we all trust each other to finish offensively.”

Tufts faced Skidmore College in the second round of the tournament, and while a commanding offense characterized the first half, the Jumbos’ consistent shutdown defense secured them a spot in the Sweet 16. Russell notched a game-high 23 points, and sophomore guard Sofia Gonzalez added 14 with three buckets from behind the 3-point line. Skidmore threatened in the second half, cutting the deficit to only 4 points in the last few minutes of the game, but the Jumbo defense stepped up under pressure and protected the lead, and the contest ended in a 59–50 Tufts victory.

“I think we were just really focused on … continuing to play great defense just like we did in the NESCAC Tournament,” Russell said. “Defense wins championships.”

Russell wears the NESCAC Player of the Year crown after winning conference weekly honors five times throughout the regular season and consistently serving as an offensive powerhouse for the Jumbos. She has scored 523 points on the season, bringing her career total to 950 with a year left to play.

“[I try] to work really hard in the gym, just always try to be the best version of myself and do whatever the team needs me to do to win,” Russell said. “I couldn’t do anything without our team and my teammates, and I think they do a great job trusting me [and] getting me open looks scoring.”

Tufts will host Wartburg College, Trinity University of Texas and the No. 1-ranked Christopher Newport University beginning on Friday to compete for a spot in the Elite Eight.

“I think it’s just a completely different intensity,” Russell said of the postseason games. “Every team is coming in hungry for a win … and we’re bringing the same energy. It’s really competitive and intense games where it’s a constant battle the whole time, so I think it’s really important just to keep our composure in these important playoff games.”

Tufts will have home court advantage against Trinity University at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

“I’m really excited that we get to host this weekend,” Russell said. “There’s just so much great energy from all the fans. … We just love playing at home and we’re so excited to be back at it this Friday.”

Although the Celtics were missing Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams III against Cleveland, they still held a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Even with a questionable foul call on Donovan Mitchell with five seconds remaining, Grant Williams couldn’t sink two crucial free throws and the Celtics eventually fell in overtime. Some could chalk up the defeat to fatigue due to their double overtime barnburner against the New York Knicks the night prior; however, the Celtics’ trademark grit has vanished over this horrific stretch. This isn’t an anomaly in today’s NBA; with the increased parity across the league, even the juggernauts eventually hit a rut. But the Celtics blowing major leads late in games is concerning, especially if they expect another deep playoff run.

Following the defeat to Cleveland, head coach Joe Mazzulla essentially chalked up the recent struggles to “empty possessions on offense” in an interview with SB Nation. While much of this is true — missing uncontested layups is a sin in professional basketball — the current Celtics’ defense is wet computer paper. As good of a player as Immanuel Quickley is, it’s unacceptable that he’s able to drop 38 points in TD Garden. While being fourth in defensive rating is nothing to scoff at, their current mark is almost 5 points higher than last season’s 106.2 rating. Marcus Smart, reigning Defensive Player of the Year, has seen a considerable drop in defensive production, and having Robert Williams III on the injury shelf doesn’t help either.

While their horrid rebounding will bounce back once Horford and RWIII return to the lineup, the Celtics must determine the main cause of their second half breakdowns. If that’s simply a poor mentality, Celtics fans should be worried. With Tatum already battling a horrible mindset in games against the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics’ lack of toughness will come back to bite them come April and May. Sure, the stalling offense and rebounds can be fixed by solid coaching and confidence, but grit cannot be taught. I still have faith in this team to create magic in the playoffs, but with the Milwaukee Bucks playing out of their minds currently, I wouldn’t buy those NBA Finals tickets just yet.