Williamstown, MA – After the first six minutes of Saturday's contest, little went right for the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team. Outrebounded by 25, the Golden Knights experienced their worst loss since December 1998 as they dropped a 75-32 decision to top-ranked Tufts University at the Williams College Holiday Classic.

The Golden Knights suffered their second straight loss to drop to 4-3 overall, while Tufts remained unbeaten at 6-0. The 43-point deficit was Clarkson's largest since falling 74-30 to William Smith on December 5, 1998, a stretch of 450 games.

Clarkson got off to a solid start against the Jumbos and held a lead 8-6 in the first quarter following a Molly Stewart steal and layup at the 4:57 mark. The Knights forced five turnovers in the first six minutes of the game, but a 10-0 run allowed the Jumbos to double up Clarkson (16-8) with 1:37 remaining. Clarkson closed the gap to six points by the end of the quarter, but things got worse for the Knights in the second quarter. The Jumbos opened the period with a 10-2 run, capped off by a Josie Lee 3-pointer at the 6:38 mark. For the second straight game, Clarkson struggled mightily in the second period and tallied just seven points while allowing 23 to fall behind 41-19 at the break.

Tufts held a 27-13 edge in rebounds in the first half, including 11 on the offensive end, which allowed the Jumbos several second-chance opportunities. Clarkson shot 8-for-26 in the half and Tufts wasn't much better at 14-for-36, but those 10 extra shots were enough to create a solid margin.

The third quarter began with a jumper from Stephanie Grobe which pulled the Knights back within 20, but that was as close as Clarkson would get. The Knights scored only 13 points in the second half, less than Tufts scored in each of their quarters. The superior size of Tufts didn't go without notice as the Jumbos recorded 53 rebounds to Clarkson's 28 caroms. Additionally, Tufts went 17-for-21 from the free throw line, while the Knights received only six free throw attempts in the whole game. Clarkson also was scoreless in seven tries from beyond the 3-point arc.

Stephanie Grobe and Molly Stewart each scored 10 points, with both players shooting 5-for-10 from the field. For Tufts, Michela North had a double-double on 15 points and 10 boards, shooting 4-for-6 from the field and 7-for-9 from the line. Melissa Baptista added 13 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, and Sadie Otley tossed in 11 points for the Jumbos.