Basketball

Basketball

Men's basketball rolls over holiday competition

March 31

The Jumbos started off the second half of their season with two wins in the Infospace.com Holiday Classic, held in Los Angeles on Jan. 5-6. The trip gave the team an opportunity to compete against opponents they have never seen before, and also allowed Tufts to get back into its rhythm after more than four weeks away from the court. In the first game of the tournament, Tufts trounced Pomona-Pitzer 78-62. The Jumbos were sparked by 71.4 percent shooting in the first half, and were up by 17 points at the break. Senior captain Dan Flaherty, who currently ranks third in the NESCAC at 19.1 points per game, led the way on offense, scoring 17 points despite spending just 18 minutes on the floor. Junior guard Bobby MacMannis returned to the floor for the first time this season, having missed the first seven games with a wrist injury. He grabbed two rebounds in two minutes of play. The team went on to face host Occidental in the second game, managing to fend off the Tigers for a three point victory. Flaherty and senior Fred Pedroletti each contributed 19 points to the cause, while point guard Bobby Mpuku added nine points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. "We played great out in California," sophomore Brian Shapiro said. "It's tough for any team to go on the road and win, and to go across the country and beat two pretty good teams was definitely a confidence booster for us." The team returned to the east coast for a Jan. 10 match-up with Curry. The Jumbos started off slow, shooting just 26.5 percent in the first half, but were still able to carry a 27-24 lead into the locker room at half time. The team came out stronger in the second stanza, shooting a blistering 59.3 percent from the field on the way to a 73-65 win. Flaherty once again led the team on the scoring end, putting up 24, and pulling down 16 boards for his second double-double of the season. Tufts followed the Curry win with an 86-62 drubbing of UMass-Boston the following night at home in Cousens Gym. Coach Bob Sheldon used the game against a weaker opponent as an opportunity to give some of his younger players floor time, sending a total of 16 Jumbos out on the court. Fifteen of those players scored at least one point, although only Shapiro reached double figures. Turnovers were one of the biggest factors of the game, as the Jumbos forced 30 while giving up the ball just 15 times. The game was the first at home since the team's Dec. 5 overtime win against Babson, and the Jumbos will not play on their home floor again until Jan. 26. The four wins over break helped to re-establish the momentum that the team had put together during their 4-1 December, and lifted Tufts' overall record to 11-2. The Jumbos pushed their winning streak to seven with a 76-71 win over Brandeis on Tuesday, and crushed Wheaton last night 83-67.

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Basketball

Men's basketball team bounces to Williams, Middlebury

March 31

For the men's basketball team, the road to the NESCAC Tournament goes through...the road. The Jumbos will kick off a regular season-ending four-game road trip this weekend, with games at Williams and Middlebury. With wins in both, Tufts can clinch a berth in the NESCAC Tournament, which will feature the top seven teams in the division battling it out for a berth in the NCAA Div. III Tournament. However with a pair of losses, the Jumbos, who currently sit in a third place tie in the NESCAC at 15-5, and 3-2 in the NESCAC, could find themselves playing for their postseason lives a week from now. Tonight's game, at least on the surface, is the more intriguing of the two that will be played this weekend. The team will make the cross-state trek to Williamstown to face an Ephs team that no current Jumbo has beaten. "We're trying not to think negatively," coach Bob Sheldon said. "We have very good chances to win both games this weekend." "I really think we have a good chance to beat Williams," senior forward Fred Pedroletti said. "We have better players, period, point blank."For those players to prevail, though, Tufts will have to erase the bitter memory of a blowout loss at the hands of an NCAA Tournament bound Williams team last season. In that game, the Ephmen never looked back after falling behind 3-2, in the early moments, and blew the Jumbos out, by a score of 74-58.To many Jumbos, though, that game is a distant memory. "We are excited to play them," freshman guard Phil Barlow said. "They are a tough team, but by no means are we going in there intimidated." Although Williams is still not to be taken lightly - in their last game they demolished a Springfield team that eliminated them from the NCAA Tournament last year, 80-54 - still they are not the powerhouse of recent years. The Ephs are 3-3 in the NESCAC and 14-6 overall leaving them hanging onto the seventh and final seed in the NESCAC tournament. A Tufts win would do more than just catapult them into the driver's seat for a possible home game in the Tournament, but would help to push Williams over the edge of the cliff they're currently hanging from. Such a scenario would be sweet given the teams' recent history, but Sheldon knows that nothing can be taken for granted. "There is a little bit of a drop-off from where they were last year," he said. "But they are still very strong. They have a new coach and they needed some time to learn his system. Now they're starting to peak." While Williams may be starting to climb out of a mini-funk, Middlebury College, Saturday's opponent, is watching its season slip away. The Panthers have struggled mightily of late, having lost five straight going into tonight's game against Bates. The tailspin has landed Middlebury at the bottom of the NESCAC standings, at 9-11 overall and 1-5 in division play. The Jumbos will look to take advantage of the Panthers' struggles. "Good teams win games versus teams that are struggling," Pedroletti. "Great teams really hand them a whooping. We are looking to do the latter in order to send a message going into the conference tournament." The efforts to do so may be hindered by one factor: Energy. The Jumbos are being forced to take a three hour bus ride today, play there at 7 p.m. on Friday, sit on a bus again for about three hours on Saturday, and then get right back on the court at 2 p.m. on Saturday against Middlebury. That's no easy task for any team at any level. "Its definitely a disadvantage having to travel so much and playing two road games," Barlow said. "We just have to try and stay focused and really be mentally tough this weekend." Much of the fate of the Middlebury game, though, will be out of Tufts hands. The Panthers' offense could best be described by stealing a phrase from former NFL resident genius/lunatic Buddy Ryan: "Chuck and duck". There is little more to the Middlebury than a constant flurry of three-pointers; whether or not those treys are falling may be the determining factor in the game. "This one could be a wacky game," Sheldon said. "They fire a lot of threes and being at home, that could help them shoot better. They're an inconsistent team; they live and die by the three." Sheldon and company will hope that they continue to die by the three, as they have done of late. While a tough weekend lies ahead, there is plenty of good news for the Jumbos. The team finally seems to be getting healthy. Sophomore guard Brian Shapiro is nearly 100 percent, and while Barlow has not practiced in the last two days, Sheldon expects him to suit up tonight. That should help the Jumbos in their quest to make this crucial weekend successful. "We'd rather be at home, but we're not afraid," Sheldon said. "We're focusing on sweeping this weekend." If the team can make a sweep happen, the road to the NESCAC Tournament will be completed by Saturday night.

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Basketball

Men's basketball sinks in a night to remember

March 31

While not nearly as devastating as the Titanic's 1912 voyage, the men's basketball team's season alternately awed us, anguished us, and touched us. The Jumbos' ship finally sunk in Saturday's shocking 85-84 loss to the Conn College Camels, bringing sudden end to Tufts' season. While the Titanic's builders could not pick up the pieces from their disaster and regroup, the Jumbos - minus five seniors - will be back next year to try again. Tufts, down by as many as 14 in the second half, managed to muster one last run to save the season and, with 2:49 remaining, sophomore shooting guard Brian Shapiro (11-18 for 28 points) hit yet another basket to put his team on top 82-80. After struggling for much of the second half of the season, Shapiro found his shot in his team's final two games, and nearly willed the Jumbos to victory. "He hit a cold rut for a long part of the season," senior power forward Fred Pedroletti said. "But of course you can never count him out. He went off in one of the biggest games of the season. He was awesome and he proved he was the real deal." With 2:07 left in the game, senior Bobby Mpuku (5-9 for 14 points and 6 assists) knocked down one of two free throws, extending the lead to 83-80. Then the Camels' junior guard, Isiah Curtis, responded at the 1:25 mark, popping a jumper to bring Conn. College within in one, at 83-82. The two teams exchanged free throws, setting up Rich Futia's miracle shot. If this had been Division I basketball, Futia's shot would have been replayed time and time again. Perhaps it would have received a name such as "the shot" which Michael Jordan hit as a North Carolina Tar Heel to bring the championship to Chapel Hill. Instead, only the players and the 800 fans who attended the game will remember the tip that killed the Jumbos. With 3.3 seconds left, Curtis leapt for the heavens and tipped in Curtis' wild three-point attempt. "They called a timeout and then this random dude shot a three, and we were like 'awesome he's not gonna make it,'" Pedroletti said. "He jacked up a three and missed it and the ball bounced and they tipped it. [Futia] was way up there for the rebound. He was head and shoulders above everyone on the court." "He jumped over the back of two of our players," sophomore Lee Neugebauer said. "The referees were afraid to call anything in the tight situation." After Futia's shot, the Jumbos had one last chance to save their season, calling a timeout to set up a play for Shapiro, who had been carrying the team all weekend. The plan was for Shapiro to inbound the ball to Mpuku and then run off a double screen for the game winner. Instead the Camels swarming defense nearly forced a five second violation, and while Tufts succeeded in getting the ball inbounds, Conn. College intercepted the pass, ending the Jumbos' season. The Jumbos' loss, can be attributed to three key factors: porous defense, poor free throw shooting, and the absence of freshman sensation Phil Barlow, the team's third leading scorer (11.0 ppg). Tufts allowed Conn. College to shoot 52.3 percent for the game, while the Jumbos shot a dismal 53.8 percent from the charity stripe in the second half, and only 64 percent for the game. "Our main objective throughout [the past] week was to get back to our defensive wizardry," Pedroletti said. "[Their shooting] was a remarkable sight. If I were a fan and not on the other team I would have liked to have watched that. They were shooting the lights out and playing tough D." There was a clear discrepancy in terms of free throw shooting from the first half (75 percent) to the second (53.8 percent) for the Jumbos, but the team felt that nerves were not a factor in the huge drop-off. "I don't think nervousness was the factor for the missed free throws," Neugebauer said. "I think it was just fatigue." "Towards the latter part of the season free throws have been a problem," Pedroletti said. "We tried to improve that because we knew it was going to come up and bite us. Unfortunately, it had to come down to that. Free throws definitely do make a difference in the game. They just didn't roll our way." Barlow had injured his shoulder during last Tuesday's practice and had trouble moving his arm past his head. To make matters worse, late for an exam on Thursday, the speedy young guard, in a mad dash for class, slammed the door on a finger of his shooting hand. "He wasn't cleared to play, so there was no chance of him pulling a Willis Reed," Pedroletti said. Perhaps the Conn. College fiasco could have been avoided, had the Jumbos been able to pull out a victory against the Wesleyan Cardinals on Friday night. Instead, Tufts stumbled from the get-go, falling behind 49-38 at the half on the way to a 94-91 loss. "It was difficult because it was a situation where we had to get a win," Pedroletti said. "We knew that this was the easier of the two [games]. We were way off as a team going into the game. It was hard to get out of the rut. We kind of did a little too late. It was a game we definitely thought we could have won." Despite solid contributions from Shapiro (8-17 for 24 points), Flaherty (5-13 for 23 points), and sophomore Kyle Van Natta (4-5 for 13 points), the team could not establish itself until the second half, when it outscored the Cardinals by 53-45 margin. "It was definitely morbid," Pedroletti said. "It was more of a shock because the game was finished. It we lost in a blowout we would have already been in that mood. The fact that we had it and we were literally a foot away - it was really a matter of shock. We should have won and we didn't. It was a good feeling knowing we finished our careers going 110 percent."

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Basketball

Men's basketball shoots for charity

March 31

The Tufts men's basketball team hit some big free throws last month, and though they did not add any conference victories to the team's record, they gave new meaning to the term "charity stripe." On Jan. 15, the Jumbos held a free-throw shootout to benefit Operation Smile, a non-profit organization that provides reconstructive surgery and related health care to indigent children and young adults in developing countries and the United States. Players collected pledges and earned money for the cause based on the number of free throws that they hit. In all, the team raised $3,027 for Op Smile. The event was organized by assistant coach Seth Eilberg, who became involved with the charity as a boy in Norfolk, Virginia. "It's a good cause," Eilberg said. "It helps the team appreciate things outside of basketball. It teaches them to take a step back and look at what they have that others might not.." Op Smile itself was formed in 1982 by a husband and wife team, Dr. Bill and Kathy Macgee of Norfolk. On a trip to the Philippines to perform reconstructive facial surgery on poor children in that country, the pair became saddened by the fact that they had to turn so many children away. The charity helps children from the United States and the rest of the world. On Jan. 15, the team stepped up to the challenge. The Jumbos are eighth in the NESCAC in free throw percentage, shooting 66.8 percent from the line on the season. But during the competition, three players hit over 90 of their 100 free throws. "The guys shot a little better than normal," Eilberg said. "I guess they had the charity vibe in their stroke that afternoon." The team was treated to pizza by DiFabio's Restaurant in Medford and Best Buy donated prizes for the top money earner, best shooter, and the most pledges. Freshman David Malouf raised the most money, with $500 to his credit, earning a TV and VCR system. Junior Kevin Reade received a new stereo for collecting the most pledges, and junior Bobby MacMannis won the tight free throw competition, earning a Discman. Freshmen Shaun Young and Eric Mack also hit over 90 of their free throws. Eilberg hopes to see the event return in subsequent years. "We'd like to have it again. Anyone who wants to support the effort is welcome."

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Basketball

Men's basketball kicks off NESCAC season with big win at Bates

March 31

The men's basketball team began the NESCAC schedule on a high, with a 78-65 drubbing of the Bates Bobcats on Saturday afternoon. The victory improved the Jumbos' record to 12-2 on the season, and set the tone for what should be a tight battle for the NESCAC Championship and automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. "I think it was definitely a great way to start off league play," sophomore Brian Shapiro said. "With Williams, Connecticut College, and Amherst losing, it shows that the [NESCAC] is up in the air and each victory is that much more important. It's going to be a dogfight all year in the NESCAC, and to get a quality win on the road was very important for us." For the season, the trio of Shapiro and seniors Dan Flaherty and Fred Pedroletti have been doing the brunt of the scoring for Tufts. However, against Bates, the Jumbos had seven players score seven or more points. "The trio has been our top scorers, but we have other people score also," coach Bob Sheldon said. "We are a deep team, especially on offense, and any one of several players could go for 20 on any given night. That's what makes us so tough to beat." Tufts inside-out game led to many scoring opportunities down low for Flaherty, (8-16, 20 points) and Pedroletti (4-8, 10 points). "Bates wasn't that big of a team, and [Flaherty] was able to set up shop in the paint really easily," Shapiro said. "Once we got the ball into him they had a really difficult time of stopping him. He also uses his size really well and gets tons of rebounds." Guards Shapiro (5-14, 11 points), senior Bobby Mpuku, who hit three of five three-point attempts on his way to ten points, and freshman Phil Barlow (4-8, 10 points) took advantage of many good looks from the outside, resulting from the intimidating presence of Flaherty and Pedroletti in the paint. Junior Bobby MacMannis continued with his hot shooting, which has helped spark the Jumbos since his return from a wrist injury that had sidelined him earlier in the season. MacMannis shot 2-3 for eight points in only 15 minutes of action. Despite shooting only 41 percent in the first half, the Jumbos jumped off to 34-28 lead at halftime, mostly because of their stifling defense, which limited the Bobcats to 28 percent shooting in the first half and only 34 percent for the game. "The key was getting back on defense and stopping their penetration to the basket," sophomore Lee Neugebauer said. "They thrived off their penetration and dish to the big man or three-point shooter. Coach Sheldon made a point of making sure we stayed in front of our men and didn't gamble." Emotion from the locker room carried the Jumbos through a dismal shooting first half. "In the two games before the Bates one, we played very flat with no energy or emotion" Neugebauer said. "But in the locker room before the Bates game, the team made a point of making sure we came out with life, showing emotion. I think that is what kept us in the game the whole time." Bates came within two points (39-37) of the Jumbos with 15:31 left in the second half, after freshman Ramon Garcia hit a lay-up to cap off a 9-2 Bobcats' burst. But Tufts responded with a 9-1 run of its own, putting the game out of reach. "Bates did get to 39-37, but we were always in control," Sheldon said. "We were never behind, and down the stretch we just were better than they were." "I think the major thing was withstanding their spurts," Shapiro said. "They cut the lead to two or three a couple of times and their fans really started getting into it. But we were able to turn it up a notch and build the lead back up." The team continues its season on Wednesday in Dartmouth, Mass., squaring off against UMass-Dartmouth, currently the top-ranked Division III school in New England. The Jumbos resume NESCAC play Friday at home against Trinity. Tufts is looking to maintain the intensity that carried it to victory against the Bobcats. "This win was huge," Sheldon said. "The NESCAC is so tough this year that anything can happen. Any away win in the league is huge, and to start with a win against a good team, away, can only be good." "In our next game, we are looking to gain respect throughout New England," Neugebauer said. "Umass-Dartmouth is number one in New England right now and if we beat them, I think there is no doubt that we should be number one."

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Basketball

Men's basketball pounds Wheaton, slips by Brandeis

March 31

With a narrow 76-71 victory over Brandeis on Tuesday night, and a 83-67 thumping of Wheaton last night, the Jumbos improved to 11-2 on the season and extended their season-high winning streak to seven games. Sophomore guard Brian Shapiro scored a game-high 24 points last night, and freshman Phil Barlow added 16 off the bench as the Jumbos cruised past the 7-6 Lyons. Tufts' defense propelled the victory as Wheaton committed 25 turnovers and only shot 40 percent from the field. On Tuesday night, Tufts' defense was somewhat lackadaisical, allowing Brandeis to shoot 56.5 percent from the field in the first half before clamping down later in the game, when the Jumbos' high-octane offense heated up and powered the team to victory. "We played okay defensively," coach Bob Sheldon said. "We came out and shot pretty well. We shot 50 percent, and that is why we won." Usually, the Jumbos count on the big three of Shapiro and seniors Dan Flaherty and Fred Pedroletti to do most of the scoring. While Flaherty managed to drop in 15 points, Brandeis held Pedroletti (six points) and Shapiro (seven points) well under their season averages of 10.7 and 15.9, respectively. In search of points, the Jumbos turned to Barlow, who shot 5-6 from the field and 4-4 from beyond the three point line on his way to 16 points overall, nearly seven points above his season average. Flaherty, Pedroletti, Shapiro, and Barlow were four of the ten Jumbos who scored four or more points during the game. "We just have a deep team," Shapiro said. "Some games people score more than others and last night was a great example of that. [Barlow] had 16 points and [sophomore Kyle Van Natta] also played great. That's what is so good about our team. Everyone can play and we know that everyone is capable of having a great game every game." The Jumbos dominated the Judges defensively in the second half, holding the team to a pitiful 35.3 shooting percentage. With Brandeis down six, at 54-48, with 14:21 left to play, the Jumbos ran off eight straight points to bring the advantage to 14. Then the Judges responded with a barrage of three pointers, cutting the lead to three with nine seconds left. "We got up 14 and we didn't really put the nail in the coffin," Flaherty said. "They hit a bunch of threes. We took it for granted that the game was over. We really have to close out games against the weaker teams. We will get beat by tougher teams if we have those lapses." "We got the lead up to 14 with five or six [minutes left] then they started making some crazy threes," Sheldon said. "I was a little disappointed that we didn't put them away." One of Tufts greatest team strengths has been its ability to dominate the boards. However, on this night, Brandeis dominated the glass, outrebounding the Jumbos by a 40 to 29 margin, enabling the Judges to stay with the more talented Tufts team for most of the evening. Much of this spread can be attributed to the fact that Brandeis is a much bigger team than Tufts, as no starter, except point guard Antonio Williams, was under 6' 4". "They were the tallest team we've played so far," Shapiro said. "Our guards were forced to defend kids that were three to four inches taller." "They clearly outrebounded us last night," Flaherty said. "That is something that we should be aware of. It was a little bit of a reality check that rebounding is not going to come to us. Rebounding is a pretty much hustle and we didn't hustle as much as we should have." Despite being closer than expected, the Jumbos were pleased to come out with a victory, and were glad to see that junior guard Bobby MacMannis is working his way back into the rotation, after missing most of the season recovering from a injury to his shooting wrist. MacMannis (2-3 for five points) had his highest scoring output in the four games he has played since his return, and is currently shooting a red-hot 66.7 percent from the field on the season. "He is slowly getting back into playing shape," Sheldon said. "He is doing more than just scoring. He is playing great defense." While Sheldon may have been unhappy with the overall effort, there is no denying that a win is a win. "I thought we were going to win by 15," Sheldon said. "Maybe we looked ahead a little bit because league play [NESCAC] starts on Saturday against Bates." "We probably didn't win by as much as we should have," Flaherty said. "We looked a little tired and maybe weren't mentally into it. We did what we had to." After beating Wheaton easily last night, the Jumbos will begin the most important part of the season on Saturday afternoon, when the team heads to Maine to battle Bates in what marks the commencement of NESCAC play.

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Basketball

Men's basketball drops two on the road

March 31

The men's basketball now knows what it's like to go in for a routine physical and have the doctor order emergency triple bypass surgery. The Jumbos went into the weekend expecting favorable results from a checkup against two NESCAC foes, the Williams Ephs and Middlebury Panthers. But after consecutive losses to the Ephs (86-64) on Friday and to the Panthers (76-71) on Saturday, Tufts (15-7, 3-4 in NESCAC) finds itself on life support with only one week remaining in the regular season. While Tufts usually prides itself on effort, senior co-captain Dan Flaherty questioned the team's heart following the losses. "We need to be more intense in the game," Flaherty said. "We are sometimes lackadaisical as a team, and we think we can win on talent alone." While the Jumbos shot better than the Panthers - they connected on 47.4 percent of their field goal attempts compared to Middlebury's 41.5 percent - Tufts once again failed to excel at the fundamentals. The Panthers out-rebounded the Jumbos 36-30 and also dominated them at the charity stripe, where Tufts continued to struggle, shooting only 50 percent from the line compared to Middlebury's 71.4 percent. "There might have been two or three minutes where we had the lead," Flaherty said. "They made a lot of their free throws. They just got them really well and we didn't. That was a big discrepancy." "In terms of free throws, we were fouling back and forth, and we weren't hitting our free throws but they were hitting theirs," junior guard Bobby MacMannis said. "That was one of the main reasons we lost. We have kind of hit a [free throw] funk now." While his teammates struggled, Flaherty had a huge game, going 12-13 from the field, 5-7 from the line, and finishing with a season-high 30 points. Sophomore shooting guard Brian Shapiro was the only other Jumbo in double figures, as he chipped in 12 points on 5-13 shooting. Senior co-captain Bobby Mpuku and freshman Phil Barlow, who only played 20 minutes, both contributed eight points. Tufts was dealt a tremendous blow when Barlow fouled out with approximately eight minutes left in the second half. With the Barlow-bomb on the bench, the Jumbos were unable to find another spark to ignite them down the stretch. "That hurt us," Flaherty said of Barlow's premature departure. "He is a good player, especially on defense, he is so quick. There were a couple of bogus [foul] calls." "When he fouled out, we lost the edge," MacMannis said. "We actually played well. It seemed like as soon as the game was over we were like 'how did we lose that game?'" The loss to the Panthers was especially devastating for the Jumbos, who had hoped to dig themselves from an abyss after a startling setback against Williams on Friday. Going into the game Tufts had a 3-2 NESCAC record while the Ephs were 3-3. But following this weekend's action, the two teams have undergone a drastic reversal in fortunes. The Ephs jumped out in front early, sprinting to a 23-11 lead eight minutes into the game. Following that spurt, the Jumbos found themselves struggling to make the contest competitive. Midway through the first half, Tufts went on a run of its own, cut the Ephs lead to five, and headed into the locker room down by only seven. After shooting a poor 38.7 percent through the first 20 minutes, the Jumbos looked to improve that statistic in the second half. Instead, the second half was more of the same for Tufts as the squad shot only 33.3 percent in the second frame. Rebounding was also a serious problem for the Jumbos as the Ephmen out-rebounded them by a 50 to 37 margin. "They were a lot more physical then we thought they were gonna be," MacMannis said. "We kind of backed off as soon as we saw how physical they were." "They contest every shot," Flaherty said. "I don't think we got any open looks. They got in our face and pushed us back. They pushed us back at the three-point line. It was kind of a disappointing loss." While the team struggled as a whole, Flaherty (7-10 for 19 points and six rebounds) and freshman point guard Phil Barlow (6-8 for 16 points) managed to thrive. "I played an alright game," Flaherty said. "They might not have stopped me per se, but they made it difficult. I had to really press to get open for shots. It wasn't easy for the guards to get into the posts. There were a couple turnovers trying to get [the ball] into me, or I got stripped." After the two NESCAC losses, the Jumbos are now in a three-way tie with Bowdoin and Conn. College for the sixth spot in the playoff battle, making next weekend's showdowns at Wesleyan and Conn. College must-win games. "We want to come out and hopefully get two victories," Flaherty said. "We just want to get into that [NESCAC] tournament. We feel like as long as we are there, we are a dangerous team." "There is a real sense of urgency," MacMannis said. "We started the season off so well. Now, our backs are against the wall. We have to go in and probably win both games this weekend."

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Basketball

Men's basketball team surprises, wins 2000 ECAC tournament

March 31

When the men's basketball team was down by five last week to the Colby White Mules with 2:30 left in overtime of the ECAC championship game, only someone who had never seen this year's version of the Jumbos before would have counted them out. The Jumbos, having survived many similar moments on the season, kept their composure and were soon crowned ECAC champions, the team's first title in 18 years.

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