Springfield, Mass. - January 3, 2016 - The Springfield College women's basketball team was defeated by No. 18 Tufts, 51-43, in the championship game of the in the Hampton Inn West Springfield/Naismith Classic in Blake Arena on Sunday afternoon. 

The Jumbos, ranked 18th in the latest D3hoops.com National Poll, improve to 8-2, while Springfield drops to, 7-3, with all three of its losses coming to nationally-ranked teams.

Emma Roberson (Arlington, Mass.) was named the Most Valuable Player of the Classic after a eight-point, eight-rebound effort and was joined by teammate Lauren Dillon (Wellesley, Mass.) on the All-Tournament team after she posted 11 points, five steals, and three assists.  Additionally, Michela North (Duxbury, Mass.) tallied 13 points and 12 boards for the Jumbos, who shot 21-for-56 (37.5%) for the game.

For the Pride, Ava Adamopoulos (Ludlow, Mass.) was terrific off the bench, going for 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Emily Gins (Fort Myers, Fla.) chipped in 13 points and five boards for the Pride as both earned All-Tournament Team honors.

Tufts controlled the paint early on and raced out to a 10-2 lead just four minutes into the contest, and would extend its lead to 18-7 following a fastbreak bucket by Dillon.  The Jumbos, who scored 16 points in the paint in the frame, held a 21-9 cushion after the first 10 minutes of action.

After falling behind as much as 13 in he second quarter, Lexi Windwer (Milton, Mass.) buried a three from the corner to bring Springfield within 26-18 at the 3:25 mark.  The teams traded baskets down the stretch, with Tufts headed into the locker room with a 28-20 cushion.    

A driving finish through the lane by Gins brought Springfield within 32-29 just under four minutes to play in the third, and five points from Adampolous down the stretch cut Tufts lead to 35-34 heading into the final quarter.

Tufts opened up the fourth on a 9-2 spurt, as a three-point play by North forced the Pride into a timeout facing a 44-36 deficit with 4:24 left in regulation.  Springfield would get as close as 47-42 on an Adamopoulos putback with 2:42 on the clock, but the Jumbos were able to escape with a 53-41 victory.

Springfield will hit the court again on Wednesday when its hosts Smith at 7:00 pm in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play.

2016 Hampton Inn West Springfield/Naismith Classic All-Tournament Team
Emma Roberson - Tufts (MVP)
Lauren Dillon - Tufts
Ava Adamopoulos - Springfield
Emily Gins - Springfield
Devona Paul - SUNY Plattsburgh
Maddie Bledsoe - Wesleyan