Utter dominance. Delirium. Destiny. Those were the thoughts racing through the minds of the raucous crowd filling the bleachers inside historic Cousens Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon as Tufts destroyed Connecticut College 71–42 and improved to 17–2 overall and 5–0 in NESCAC play.
The Jumbos came into the matchup seeking redemption for their previous two matchups with the Camels, having lost 63–55 in New London in 2023 and 56–-54 at the opening of their NESCAC campaign last year when Camels guard Elias Espinosa scored a game-winning basket with eight seconds remaining.
The Jumbos knew they would have to deal with the Camels’ trademark 3–2 zone, which had given them fits in the previous two matchups. When asked about the preparations in planning for the game, sophomore guard Dylan Reilly wrote in a message to the Daily, “We emulated their zone all week playing hard in practice so we were prepared and knew what looks we wanted to get.”
The first few minutes of the matchup on the Cousens floor brought a slow start. Each team only recorded two points in the first three minutes of the game, as the Jumbos were struggling to penetrate the zone and get the looks they wanted. Once the Jumbos saw their second basket fall through off a trademark junior forward Scott Gyimesi floater, they heated up in rapid fashion, scoring 12 straight points to lead 12–2 after seven minutes of play, cutting through the Camel zone like butter.
The Camels quickly called timeout to no avail. After the Camels’ second basket, Jumbo junior center Joshua Bernstein posterized Camels defenders Dylan Watson and Edward Harrison on consecutive possessions, sending the Cousens crowd into a frenzy. The Camels would bring the game back to single digits halfway through the first half before Gyimesi decided to take over. On four consecutive possessions, Gyimesi either scored or assisted, as the Jumbos pushed the lead to 37–17 at the halftime break with a 10–2 run in the half’s final two minutes and nine seconds.
In the second half, the Jumbos continued their abject dominance, starting the second half on a 28–9 run powered by 12 points from Gyimesi, which put the game out of reach and allowed Tufts’ coach Brandon Linton to pull the starters and give significant minutes to some of his rotation players. In total, all 18 members of the Jumbos’ roster got minutes during the game, only the second time the were able to this season. The last Jumbo to enter the game was guard and football senior quarterback Michael Berluti, who was brought in to satisfy the pleadings of the joyous crowd. The crowd, which had been waiting for two seasons for him to score at Cousens, almost got their wish as Berluti got an open corner three in the final minute of regulation, only for him to sail it several feet past the basket.
The Jumbos cruised to the 29-point win on the back of their outstanding efficiency, including shooting 63% from 2-point range and doubling up the Camels 46–23 in rebounds, which allowed them to get 22 second chance points. These statistical advantages allowed the Jumbos to compensate for shooting 3–18 from three, their worst 3-point shooting performance in a NESCAC matchup since a loss to Hamilton to end the 2017–18 regular season.
Gyimesi led all scorers with 25 points, reaching double digits for the 15th time in 19 games this season en route to his 10th double-double. His frontcourt partner Bernstein recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds, recording his third double-double of the year. Off the bench, Zion Watt scored seven more, his second highest amount of the season, while seven other Jumbos contributed to the scoring. For Connecticut College, Espinosa led the scoring with seven points, as Tufts prevented any opponent from getting into double-digit scoring for the first time since their Dec. 7 victory over the University of Rochester.
With the 5–0 start in NESCAC play, the Jumbos have established themselves as the class of the league along with the Wesleyan Cardinals, who also share a 5–0 conference record. The two squads will square off next Friday night at 7 p.m. in Middletown, Conn. for sole possession of first place in the conference in a game that will likely determine the No. 1 seed in next month’s NESCAC tournament. When asked by the Daily about the team’s mentality going on the road to challenge the only remaining unbeaten team in Division III men’s basketball, Reilly highlighted head coach Brandon Linton’s mentality. “We don’t care who’s on our schedule next. We’re gonna prepare and work as hard as we can day by day and ball out together no matter the opponent,” he wrote.
With the 17–2 start to the season, the Jumbos are on pace for one of their best seasons since the New England Basketball Hall of Fame 1972-73 season when they went 22–2.
The question that many are asking about the currently ninth-ranked Jumbos is how high they will be ranked when they come home, with suggestions being made that they could enter the top five for the first time since December 2023 with a win over Wesleyan. For the first time since 2020, NCAA tournament basketball on the Cousens floor seems within the team’s grasp. All they need to do is keep the momentum into March.
