Radcliffe Cagers Outlast Tufts, 60-53

The Radcliffe basketball team escaped a last minute charge by the Jumbos of Tufts to post its first win of the season, 60-53, at Medford last night.

The Crimson held a five point lead with just two and a half minutes left in the game but the Jumbos chipped away at the foul-plagued 'Cliffe cagers to pull to within two points with the clock showing 1:30 to go.

But a Maude Wood tip-in, followed by a Marie Sullivan steal and score put the game out of reach for the homecourt hoopsters. Sullivan added two more on another breakaway steal to bring the game to its final score.

The 'Cliffe was without the services of top outside shooter co-captain Sue Williams and guard Lissa Muscatine. Both starters were saddled with injuries and their absence was sorely felt.

Slow Opener

The game opened with a scoring drought, and after the first six minutes the Tufts five held a tenuous 1-0 lead. With two minutes left in the opening stanza, the Jumbos had stretched the margin to six points. But in a sign of things to come, the Crimson picked up the pace, and in the waning moments of the half, closed to within two points. Kathy Fulton knotted the score at intermission with a forty foot bomb at the buzzer.

Co-captain Wood said last night that the fine performance of the squad despite the loss of the starters "showed the great depth we have."

Denise Thal and Cheryl Gelzer led the team with 13 points each. Gelzer also dominated the boards, hauling down 15 rebounds. "Tonight, for the first time," co-captain Sue Williams said, "the unit worked well and it finally clicked. Everything came together nicely."

The cagers will have the opportunity to extend their winning streak to two games when they play host to Wheaton tomorrow night at the IAB.