The Jumbos put their season back on track with a comfortable 87−75 win over Lesley University on the road Tuesday night, putting last Tuesday's heartbreaking home−opener — when visiting Regis overcame a second half double−digit Tufts lead to win 80−77 in double−overtime despite 35 points from Jumbos senior forward Alex Orchowski — in the rear−view mirror. The win puts Tufts at 3−1 on the season, the best start the program has had since 2001.
"The Lesley game was huge for us," senior tri−captain forward James Long said. "Especially after a tough loss against Regis where we really let up and let one slip away. Coming back [Tuesday] night and getting a win was really important for us as we try to keep moving forward this season."
Tufts dominated from the start on Tuesday. Lesley struck first and jumped out to an 8−4 lead, but a layup from sophomore forward Tom Folliard sparked a 10−point run that gave the visitors the lead for good. By halftime, three three−pointers apiece from junior guard Alex Goldfarb and freshman guard Ben Ferris helped build a 21−point lead, 47−26. Goldfarb would go on to score a game−leading 16 points off the bench — an impressive performance from the Jumbos' previous two−year starter who saw just nine minutes in the season opener.
In the second, Lesley had hot hands and put up seven threes of their own at a 64−percent clip. With 9:13 remaining, the hosts had whittled Tufts' lead to 11, but Goldfarb's fourth three followed by a jumper sparked a 9−0 run — capped off by a layup from Ferris — that again put their lead at 20, 72−52. The Lynx never again closed within 10 as Tufts dominated the boards on the night 43−25 — led by junior tri−captain Scott Anderson's 12 and Ferris' seven — and allowed the home team zero second−chance points in the second half.
"We're fine in the second half, we just need to bring the same energy as we do in first halves of games," Long said. "[Tuesday] night I think we just had a couple shots that fell for us in the first half rattle out in the second. We'll be OK in the second half of games as long as we keep the energy up and execute on offense."
Overall Tufts' guards earned the win on the day, shooting at over 46 percent from behind the arc in the first half. Goldfarb's 16 points were followed by 15 from Ferris and nine from freshman C.J. Moss, who posted nine points and dished out six assists in his second start of the season. Sophomore Kwame Firempong assisted on seven while putting up eight points of his own.
"Generally we try to go inside out. Really pound the ball into our bigs," Goldfarb said. "Because when they're scoring, it opens up opportunities on the perimeter. [Tuesday] we just did a good job of moving the ball and finding open shooters."
However, there is no ignoring the problems Tufts had with defensive consistency and free throws. The Jumbos seemed to settle after their large halftime margin, and Lesley capitalized with 63−percent shooting and caused nine Tufts turnovers which led to a 49−40 second−half Lynx upper hand. From the line, the Jumbos shot 54.2 percent — 13 for 24. These problems are not new to the Jumbos either. In last week's double−overtime upset, Tufts had a 13−point halftime lead which slipped away late in the second. The Jumbos shot at only 47 percent from the line in the second half of that game, going just 8 for 17.
"A win always feels good coming off a loss, but I think one thing we need to focus on going into these next few games is making sure we play the full 40 minutes of every game," Goldfarb said. "We looked good in spurts [Tuesday] night but that won't always be enough."
Tufts will have to address these issues quickly; they will have just two practices in the next six days. Tonight, the Jumbos will travel to Wheaton for a non−conference showdown.
Last year, Tufts went on a 32−12 run in the final 10 minutes to top the Lyons 79−70. This year, Tufts will look to avoid the drama and repeat Tuesday's easy win before this weekend's New England Big 4 Challenge at Salem State. The Jumbos will play Babson in the first round Saturday afternoon in pursuit of their second tournament title of the season. On Tuesday, Tufts will return home to welcome Plymouth State.
"We've had the tendency to let teams hang around once we go up," Goldfarb said. "If we come out and play our game tomorrow night, get the ball inside, run the floor and play sound defense, we should be in good shape."
