After enduring two weeks of rocky play that left it at 2-2, the men's basketball team may have had some doubts. But after this week, the Jumbos now know one thing for sure.
"We never lose in triple-overtime," coach Bob Sheldon said.
The Jumbos completed their second triple-OT win in five days, and third in Tufts history, a 118-109 victory over the Keene State Owls Wednesday night that pushed them to 5-2. The 118 points were tied for the second highest one-game point total in Tufts history.
With the Keene State game coming on the heels of Saturday's 88-81 marathon at MIT, for Tufts' squad, this week has been nothing short of exhausting.
"I had never played a triple-overtime game before Saturday," senior tri-captain Dave Shepherd said. "So for two in a row, maybe I was due. But I'm just happy we could come away with a win."
The Jumbos battled foul trouble, injury, and a physical Keene State team on their way to victory. The 75 total fouls committed in the game were just five short of an NCAA all-time record, and sent four of the Jumbos' five starters to the bench with foul-outs, leaving Shepherd as the only starter on the floor.
The Tufts bench shone in the overtime periods, led by sophomore forward Jon Pierce (22 points), junior guard Jeremy Black (11 points, four assists) and freshman Dave Beyel (11 points, 10 rebounds).
"It was a whole team effort," Shepherd said. "Pierce has been big all year, but [sophomore] Aaron [Gallant] and Dave played unbelievable. Aaron had our first five points [in the third overtime], and Dave pulled down some monster rebounds and played great D."
Pierce led the Jumbos with 22 points, and none were bigger than the dramatic buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the first overtime that tied the score at 89 and forced a second OT. Black, who was scoreless in the first half, was a clutch performer down the stretch, draining four free throws in the game's final minute to ice the Tufts win.
Gallant gave the Jumbos their final lead of the game, and Beyel, playing in just his sixth career game, came out of seemingly nowhere to post the game's only double-double. Beyel's final point and rebound totals both obliterated his season highs.
"We've been searching for a team identity, and I think tonight we found it," Sheldon said after the game. "We went 10, 11, 12 deep with four starters out. We formed our identity against a tough team that's going to win a lot down the stretch."
Keene State is one of the best teams in the Little East Conference, where Rhode Island College, a team that beat the Jumbos at Cousens Gym three weeks ago, also competes.
"They're a really good team; they were 5-0, and they beat Rhode Island College, at Rhode Island," Sheldon said. "So that's a huge win for us. But we don't want do to that anymore - it's giving me gray hairs."
And Sheldon had plenty to stress out about Wednesday night. Three of his starters - junior guard Ryan O'Keefe and senior tri-captains Brian Kumf and Brian Fitzgerald - fouled out in regulation, forcing Sheldon to go to his bench. Junior forward Jake Weitzen, who led the Jumbos with 20 points in regulation, also fouled out, in the first overtime.
Making matters worse, Sheldon's only remaining starter, Shepherd, landed hard on his right ankle going after a missed jumper by Owl junior guard Matt Hickey midway through the first half. He hobbled off the floor, and Black subbed in.
Shepherd hopped on an exercise bike behind the Tufts bench and rehabbed his ankle. He later reentered the game, playing a team-high 48 minutes and scoring 21 points.
He also had a game-high seven assists and, living up to his clutch reputation, sank all six of his free throw attempts in the final overtime period.
"As long as I was loose, I was pretty close to 100 percent," Shepherd said. "It took me a couple of minutes to get warm, but as the game went along, I got better."
As thrilling and ultimately rewarding as a triple-overtime win is, there was a sense that the game could have ended in regulation. The Jumbos led by as much as 14 points in the second half but let their lead slip away. A Weitzen three with 36 seconds remaining in regulation put Tufts up 79-75, but the reigning NESCAC Player of the Week then turned the ball over twice in the final seconds, giving Keene State a chance to tie the game.
Sophomore forward Tyler Kathan, who would finish with a game-high 28 points and 49 minutes for the Owls, drained two jumpers in the final 30 seconds to knot the game at 79.
"That's twice now that we could have closed teams out in regulation," Black said. "But when we go into overtime, we feel like it's our game. When games go into overtime, I think other teams might get a little nervous. But we stay composed, and I think that shows."
The Jumbos' composure saved them in the first OT, as they were forced to battle back from a five-point deficit. Trailing by three for much of the final minute, the Jumbos refused to shoot the trey, instead letting Shepherd drive into the lane for six clutch points late in the period. And then, as time expired, Shepherd finally found Pierce for the long three, stunning the Owls and extending the game.
"We've got some really good shooters," Sheldon said. "Dave makes them when they count, and Jeremy made some, but there was no shot bigger than Jon Pierce's at the end of the first overtime. That was nothing but net."
From there, the Jumbos had the momentum. In the second OT, Kathan hit a clutch jumper with three seconds left to force a third, but it was all Tufts in the third and final extra session.
The Jumbos went 16-for-16 from the free throw line in the final extra period, which proved more than enough as they walked away with a 118-109 victory, a testament to the clutch performance of the team's bench.
"A lot of kids stepped up," Black said. "They practice hard every day, and I think it pays off. It shows that we're really a true team."
