For the first time in the NESCAC playoff era, which began in 2000, the men's basketball team is 3-0. So far, it's looked easy. The Jumbos have won their first three games by an average margin of 23 points, and they cruised past the Regis Pride, 88-69, on Tuesday night in their home opener at Cousens Gym.
"Everyone on this team has a winning mentality," senior tri-captain guard KwameFirempong said. "That mentality has been there since the fall when we were playing pickup. We're a team that expects big things from each other."
The Jumbos, who had a visible size and speed advantage over the Pride, jumped out to a 25-6 lead behind seven points from freshman center Hunter Sabety and a pair of threes from senior tri-captain forward Andrew Dowton.
Dowton and senior forward Tommy Folliard, who stand at 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-7, respectively, have shown impressive shooting touch early in the season. Folliard had 12 points in 12 first-half minutes and finished with a career-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, looking confident pulling up from mid-range.
"I feel good in that role," Folliard said. "We have some great players this year, and we've been working the ball around pretty well. We have a really explosive offensive team."
But the Pride did not lose quietly, going on a 15-2 run to pull within six points with 6:25 remaining in the first half. Though they never came closer than that, the Jumbos were frustrated to let an inferior opponent back into the game.
"We were disappointed in the way we ended the first half," Firempong said. "When we go up big on teams, we have to keep going with that same intensity and not get complacent."
Tufts entered the locker room leading 45-33, with Folliard draining several jump shots and Sabety making his presence felt on both ends of the court. Sabety, who threw down a pair of dunks in the game - including one on an alley-oop - has been a force in the paint so far.
"He's improving every day defensively as an anchor, blocking shots, talking on defense," Firempong said. "He's starting to understand how important he is defensively as well as offensively."
In the second half, the Jumbos maintained a double-digit lead and increased the margin to as high as 19 multiple times. They were especially impressive in the open floor, playing to the strength of their backcourt while utilizing Sabety, Dowton and freshman forward Drew Madsen down low.
"We have great depth at the guard and wing positions," Firempong said. "Now, we can also add Hunter and Drew into the mix as big guys, so we can still have an inside presence but also play high-tempo."
Five Tufts players scored 10-plus points: Firempong (17), sophomore guard Stephen Haladyna (17), Folliard (15), Sabety (11) and senior tri-captain guard Oliver Cohen (10). Sabety added five rebounds and three blocks, while Cohen looked comfortable running the point, dishing out a game-high eight assists while committing just one turnover.
The Jumbos have succeeded so far despite being without junior guard Ben Ferris, the team's leading scorer last year (13.3 points per game). Ferris has yet to play this season due to injury.
Folliard noted that on Tuesday the team took advantage of a new NCAA rule that discourages hand-checking, using it to help get to the free-throw line often. Tufts converted 23 of 27 free-throws overall and 18 of 21 in the second half.
Still, the Jumbos were quick to point out what they can do better. In their estimation, 69 points for the Pride were too many.
"We definitely need to pick up our defense," Folliard said. "It's gonna cost us. The help side needs to get better, and on-ball defense as well."
Tonight at 7 p.m., the Jumbos will travel to nearby Emerson College and try to improve to 4-0.
