Freshman guard Ben Ferris was almost the goat on Tuesday. With 0.2 seconds left in regulation and Tufts leading 74−73, he was called for a loose−ball foul. But UMass Dartmouth made just one of two at the line, giving Ferris another chance and sending the game to overtime.
By the end of the extra period, Ferris was the hero. He stole two passes and sank four free throws in the final 10 seconds, leading the Jumbos to their most thrilling win of the season, 84−82. In the extra session, the Corsairs took an 82−78 lead with just two minutes left. But after sophomore guard KwameFirempong sank a jumper to decrease the margin to two, Ferris pushed his game to a completely different level.
First, he stole an inbounds pass with 10 seconds left, got fouled and sank both of his free throws. Then, with the game tied and six seconds remaining, Ferris swiped yet another Corsair inbound, was fouled again and nailed both shots from the charity stripe to seal the win.
Tufts trailed for the majority of the game against the Corsairs, who came in having lost seven of their last eight games. Senior Lance Greene had game highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds, and UMass kept Tufts off balance by playing aggressive defense and moving the ball quickly on the offensive end.
"They were able to force a lot of turnovers, which is uncharacteristic because we usually don't turn it over that much," junior tri−captain Scott Anderson said. "Usually, we like to get the ball down low and play from the inside out, but they denied it and put a lot of pressure on all our ball handlers."
UMass Dartmouth went on a 7−1 run to start the second half and took a 44−36 lead in the process. But the Jumbos fought back, and a three from Firempong and a free throw from Anderson gave the team a 74−73 lead with 1:18 to go. After a series of offensive misses for both teams, a scramble ensued after a UMass shot, and Ferris was called for a foul on Corsairs senior Paul Rose.
"I just couldn't believe a call like that, because I was going for the loose ball and my momentum just carried me into [Rose]," Ferris said. "He just got there a split second before I did, but from the start of the game, we weren't getting the calls we wanted."
Rose went to the line with a chance to win the game if he sunk both free throws. With all of Cousens Gym watching, Rose's first shot hung on the rim for what seemed like an eternity, only to slide off, granting Ferris and the Jumbos a second life.
"I was really nervous when he went to the line, because I thought I had let the whole team down," Ferris said. "But we were fortunate to get another chance and have the opportunity to keep playing."
In the final seconds, Ferris seized that opportunity in a big way.
"The first two free throws gave me more confidence, because I haven't been shooting well from the line this year, which is sort of uncharacteristic of me," Ferris said. "I knew I owed it to my team to make those shots, because they were working so hard and deserved to win this game."
Ferris attributed the second, eventual game−winning steal to the actions of sophomore forward Tom Folliard.
"Tom read it perfectly and jumped out to block the pass," Ferris said, "and since [the Corsairs] didn't have any more timeouts, the guy inbounding was forced to throw it to my man, and I got the steal."
Ferris has come up with critical performances off the bench in recent weeks, helping the Jumbos win nine of their last 11 games.
"[Ferris] got called out at halftime by the coaches and the captains, and he came out really determined in the second half," Anderson said. "It takes a lot of guts for a freshman to take on that responsibility of having the ball in his hands when the game is on the line."
The Jumbos will take their momentum into this weekend's critical home conference matchups against Trinity and No. 6 Amherst. Downing the Lord Jeffs would be a signature moment for their season, but the Jumbos are taking the games one at a time.
"We came into this game knowing that we wanted to go 3−0 this week, and now we know we have to get the second one," Anderson said. "If we forget about Trinity, they'll beat us, because they have a lot of young talent that can easily pull an upset. We have to focus on this next game and then worry about Amherst."
