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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tufts wins three straight with 91-80 victory over Plymouth State

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Tufts then-junior forward Tom Palleschi leaps above a Worcester Polytechnic Institute player during a shot on Dec. 3, 2014.

After the team lost one of its star players to a Div. I school in the offseason, expectations for the Jumbos were not high coming into the season. However, the Jumbos tuned out the chatter, with many players feeling the need to prove the doubters wrong.

“We have a chip on our shoulder,” senior guard and tri-captain Ryan Spadaford said. “We believe that we are one of the best teams in New England and should be ranked. With the hard work that we’ve been putting in, we can continue to take down strong opponents. We’ll be there and be able to make a run for the [NCAA] tournament.”

Tufts defeated Plymouth State Tuesday 91-80, handing the team its first loss of the season. The game started strong for the Jumbos, who, after giving up the first two points to the Panthers, went on an 11-point run led by senior tri-captain Stephen Haladyna. Plymouth State battled back, however, eager to keep its undefeated streak going.

“Going into the game, [Plymouth State] was 8-0,” Spadaford said. “It was tough because we had three games in four days. We were kind of beat up, so it’s good to come out with the same energy as we had over the weekend and get a win.”

Going into the half, Tufts was up by just seven thanks to some strong runs from Plymouth State's junior guard Curtis Arsenault, who put up 23 points on the night, tying him for the most on the team with senior forward and co-captain Uche Nwokeji. Despite these strong performances, the Jumbos maintained their lead in the second half, and even extended it to 19 points for a period of time.

The Panthers did all they could to remain in the game, cutting into the Jumbos' lead and shrinking it down to only eight points with just over two minutes left. Thanks to nine blocks, however, the Jumbos' defense held strong and sealed their victory.

The Jumbos exhibited a number of exceptional performances, most notably from sophomore guard Vincent Pace, who put up a career-best 26 points in the contest. Senior center and tri-captain Tom Palleschi was another key player for the Jumbos, notching 11 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Junior guard Tarik Smith put up 15 points for the Jumbos, while Haladyna finished with 14. This win was the third consecutive win for the Jumbos and places them at 6-2 on the season. 

Though Pace has led the Jumbos in scoring for the third straight game, he insists that the team always comes first.

“It’s a team game,” Pace said. “It’s been good having the guys’ confidence in me, having them find me and giving me open looks [at the basket]. Hopefully this momentum carries over through the break.”

The Jumbos have been good at carrying the momentum throughout a game, often going on streaks of double-digit points, and putting opposing teams in deep holes early in the game. They accomplish these runs largely thanks to impressive shooting numbers, putting up a strong 60.9 percent field goal percentage against Plymouth State. The Jumbos continue to struggle with fast break points, and the team does not often capitalize on the turnovers it forces for easy points.

The Jumbos have a well-deserved three-week break before facing off against Whitman and Cal Lutheran at the Cal Lutheran Invitational on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30. Coming off a three-game winning streak, the Jumbos will be looking to keep the hot streak going when they return later this month. 

“We remind each other of our goals that we set at the beginning of the year,” Pace said. “Everybody just keeps working hard to achieve them. [The next two weeks] will pretty much be all individual work, but I know that we’re a hard working group of guys and [that] we’ll get back here around Christmas and be ready to go.”