BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team built an early lead and controlled the glass throughout the night, but a strong fourth-quarter surge from Tufts University handed the Hawks a 68–57 loss on Friday evening inside the Campus Rec Center.

RWU came out firing, using efficient perimeter shooting and a dominant rebounding presence to jump ahead 21–13 in the opening quarter. The Hawks finished with a commanding 49–29 advantage on the boards, including 17 offensive rebounds that led to 21 second-chance points. Roger Williams held the lead for over 25 minutes of the contest, but turnovers proved costly as the Hawks' 20 giveaways turned into 23 points for the Jumbos.

Tufts stayed within striking distance behind its three-point shooting and capitalized late. The Jumbos hit 10 threes on the night, including several momentum-shifting makes during an 11–0 run in the fourth quarter that erased RWU's final lead at 49–48. Tufts carried the run into the closing minutes and pushed its advantage to double digits in the final seconds.

Chloe Richardson (Norwell, Mass.) led the Hawks with 16 points, while Sophia Coppola (Madison, Conn.) delivered a standout performance with 15 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals. Lilli Clark (Willimantic, Conn.) added eight points and seven boards, and Meg Qualey (Woburn, Mass.) finished with eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. For Tufts, Tessa Lozner paced the offense with 21 points, followed by 16 from Stella Galanes and 15 from Claire Kolkhorst, while Abby Congdon added 11 points and three assists.

Despite the result, Roger Williams showcased strong defensive presence, elite rebounding, and an efficient night from beyond the arc, shooting 57.1 percent from three. The Hawks will look to build on the positives as they continue their early-season slate by traveling to UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday for a 6:00PM game.