MEDFORD, MA- Junior guard Bianca Belcher (Lewiston, ME) scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and made four steals as the Colby College women's basketball team held off Tufts University for a 64-61 victory in New England Small College Athletic Conference action on Friday night.

The visiting White Mules improved to 3-2 in the conference and 9-11 overall with their eighth straight win in the series against Tufts. The Jumbos lost for the first time in three games, falling to 9-9 overall and 1-3 in NESCAC.

Colby built a 12-point lead in the second half, 57-45, using a 15-2 run. Sophomore guard Alicia Burrows (Meredith, NH) sparked the surge with two three-pointers, and sophomore Kate Chuprevich's (Monmouth, ME) layup at 5:02 pushed gave the Mules the 12-point margin. The Jumbos cut the lead all the way down to one, 62-61, on a layup by senior co-captain Jayme Busnengo (Buzzards Bay, MA) with 50 seconds to play. That capped a 16-5 run by Tufts that was led by eight points (two threes) from junior forward Erin Harrington (Fall River, MA).

With the clock winding down, both teams missed shots and Tufts fouled Colby leading scorer Sarah Walsh (Catonsville, MD) with nine seconds remaining. She hit both to give Colby a 64-61 advantage. The Jumbos had time for a final shot, but senior Katie Kehrberger's (Waldwick, NJ) three-point heave was off the mark.

Tufts had its largest lead of the game at nine, 25-16, after Busnengo's layup at 6:16 of the first half. Colby then went on a 12-2 spurt, led by Belcher's two three-pointers and eight points, and eventually took a 33-30 lead into halftime.

The Mules out-rebounded Tufts 45-27, gathering 20 offensive boards in the process. In addition to Belcher's double-double, Walsh finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Tufts was led by Harrington's 17 points, 13 which came in the second half. Junior center Emily Goodman (Briarcliff, NY) added 16 points and eight rebounds.