After traveling all the way to St. Louis, Mo. to open its season in the Lopata Classic, the men's basketball team split its two games, defeating Whittier College after losing to host Washington University.
Despite going 1-1, the Jumbos were happy with their effort.
"Our intensity was up the whole weekend," freshman Jake Weitzen said. "We scored really well and ten guys came into the game and all contributed well."
After falling 99-84 to the Washington University Bears, the number 21 team in the nation, the Jumbos recovered to defeat Whittier 88-76. Tufts, on the strength of three double-doubles, ran out to a 40-27 lead in the first half and then held off a Whittier rally, winning the game by 12.
The game against Whittier started out close as neither team could hold a lead of more than four points in the opening minutes. With 9:09 remaining in the first half and the Jumbos trailing 26-24, sophomore forward Brian Kumf hit a layup to tie the score. Kumf, who played only 17 minutes due to foul trouble, recorded 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, six of them offensive.
Starting with Kumf's layup, the Jumbos went on a 16-1 lead capped off with a layup by junior center Dan Martin. Although Whittier would cut the Jumbo lead to three with 10:39 remaining in the game, the team could not overcome the 49-38 first-half deficit and the Jumbos led for the duration of the game.
Tufts dominated Whittier inside, gaining the rebound advantage 66-35 and outscoring its opponent 44-14 in the paint. Senior tri-captain Reggie Stovell aided to that cause, scoring 22 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and adding a couple blocks.
"We were just boxing out a lot," Weitzen said. "[Stovell] had a ton of rebounds and set the tone for the rest of the team. He allowed everyone else to get rebounds down low."
Weitzen, listed at 270 pounds and playing in only his second game as a Jumbo, added 23 points and ten rebounds. He made seven of nine shots from the field including three out of four from three-point range.
The Jumbos as a team shot the ball well in the first half, racking up a 50 percent shooting percentage. They finished the game shooting 44.9 percent and held their opponents to 29.7 percent from the field.
The game probably would not have been so close if it weren't for the turnover battle. Whittier took care of the ball well all game, only turning it over seven times. The Jumbos were not so careful, accumulating 22 turnovers in the game. Sophomore point guard David Shepherd, adjusting to his new role, turned the ball over six times, after a game in which he had turned the ball over eight times to Washington. Whittier turned Tufts' inability to hold onto the ball into a 20-5 advantage in points off turnovers.
"A lot of [the turnover trouble] is just first and second game kinks that have to be worked out," Weitzen said. "A lot of it is confidence. With ball handling, it's not so much a matter of skill as it is just confidence with the ball."
The win saved the Jumbos from going home winless as they dropped the tournament opener to Washington.
The Bears presented the kind of challenge that coach Bob Sheldon wanted his team to experience in the opening game.
"Obviously, traveling took a toll, energy-wise," Weitzen said. "The home crowd was definitely a factor and it was our first game playing together as a team."
The Bears, playing on their home floor, jumped out to a quick 12-2 lead, but the Jumbos, led by eight points from freshman Ryan O'Keefe who led the team with 18 in the game, went on an 18-8 run to even the score at 20.
Tufts hung with the Bears for the rest of the half and trailed by just three at the break.
The Jumbos closed the margin to just two points, trailing 50-48 with 16:59 to go in the second half. Shepherd then nailed a three to give Tufts the lead and some confidence.
"We definitely felt we could pull it off," Weitzen said. "It was a close game the whole time, but once we got the lead, we got the momentum."
The Jumbos could not hang on to the slim lead, however, as Washington immediately scored six unanswered points. The Bears led the rest of the way, but could not put the Jumbos away until late in the game, never taking a double-digit lead until they made it 89-79 with 3:43 remaining.
Tufts struggled all game with foul trouble as five Jumbos committed four fouls and Martin fouled out after playing only nine minutes. The Bears, who got to the line 44 times in the game, capitalized by hitting 37 free throws. The Jumbos, only getting to the line 25 times, missed nine free throws.
Tufts also struggled with taking care of the ball as Washington turned the Jumbos' 21 turnovers into 25 points. The Jumbos, who only forced 13 turnovers, scored nine points off the Bear cough-ups.
The team will play its home opener at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Cousens Gym against Springfield College.
"We know Springfield has an All-American guard who is extremely talented, but they do not have much size so [Stovell] and [Martin] should be able to have a field day against them," Weitzen said.
