Tufts moved to 13-4 (4-2 in NESCAC play) over the weekend with an overtime loss at Wesleyan followed the next night by a win at Connecticut College. Both games came right down to the wire, with each result being decided by two points or fewer.
Saturday’s 83-81 win over the Connecticut College Camels was a hard fought win, with the Jumbos struggling to make up for their 18 turnovers. The team relied on senior guard and tri-captain Ryan Spadaford for the points, as he put up 18 on the night, including three free throws that secured the Jumbos' lead.
The Jumbos, always looking to battle in the paint, won the rebounding game with 40 to the Camels' 31. Senior center and tri-captain Tom Palleschi led the Jumbos in rebounds with eight, while sophomore guard Vincent Pace, who has often led the Jumbos in scoring, managed only six points on the night to go along with his five rebounds and team-leading six assists.
“We were moving the ball really well,” sophomore guard Stefan Duvivier said. “Our offense was flowing. It was what we were doing all break—just playing as a team.”
The win over the Camels was a much-needed rebound after the Jumbos lost to the Wesleyan Cardinals just the night before in overtime, 78-77. The Jumbos jumped out to an early lead in the game, which they maintained through the first half to take a 33-28 score into the break.
The largest lead of the game would come in the second half, as the Jumbos were able to move ahead by as many as 11 points, thanks to an incredible run by Palleschi. Palleschi scored all of his team-leading 18 points in the second half, including 14 in the first 8:22 of that half.
Up by two with just three seconds left in regulation, the Jumbos fouled senior BJ Davis who made his two shots and carried the Cardinals to overtime, where they would outscore the Jumbos 8-7. Davis had an impressive night for Wesleyan notching 22 points and 12 rebounds.
“One thing that really hurt us in the Wesleyan loss was rebounding,” Duvivier said. “We got out-rebounded by a more athletic team, but we’ve got to be smarter than that, focus on boxing out, all the fundamentals.”
With just over two weeks left in the regular season, the Jumbos will be turning more than ever to their bench, looking for players to step up and make the most of the minutes they are given.
“Seeing these guys play is really rewarding,” Spadaford said. “They work really hard all year. It’s good for them to get a couple of starts and show that their hard work is paying off. Everyone is playing together, which is really good."
Coming off a streak over winter break during which they dominated almost all of their opponents, beating most by double-digit margins, the Jumbos have faced a much tougher stretch of their schedule. Tufts, a team not used to being down at the half, has led by an average of just 1.75 points at the half in their last four games. The Jumbos have struggled to go on the same runs that proved successful for them early in the season.
While some of the Jumbos’ struggles can be attributed to injury, there is no question in Spadaford’s mind that the most important thing the team can improve is its passing.
“We had a few people hurt,” Spadaford said, “I was hurt for the first weekend back. It’s good to sort of gather ourselves and get healthy; we’re finally starting to get back to playing basketball the way we should’ve been playing. I think when we move the ball we’re at our best. We need to stay together and share the basketball, or that’ll be our downfall.”
The Jumbos will no doubt be looking to secure a win Thursday at Newbury before facing NESCAC foe Bates on Saturday. With four losses already, the Jumbos will need a strong finish to their season to achieve their goal of making the NCAA tournament.
