No. 3 Tufts defeated the MIT Engineers and the Emerson Lions last weekend to go 4-0 in the season, marking the first time the program has gone undefeated in the first four games in recorded history dating to the 1999-2000 season.
Last Tuesday, the Jumbos defeated the Engineers 74-66, avenging last season's 72-69 loss. On Saturday, the Jumbos picked up another win, defeating the Lions 87-72, a much more comfortable margin than last season's 86-83 scoreline.
Senior co-captain center Tom Palleschi shone on Saturday, scoring 26 points against Emerson, tallying nine rebounds and four blocks.
The game was evenly matched early on, and the score remained tight. It was not until 12 minutes into the half that the Jumbos jumped out to a 22-18 lead thanks to seven free-throw points. The Lions took a brief 22-23 lead on a 3-pointer from junior forward John Geary with 7:06 left in the half, but Palleschi, sophomore guard Ethan Feldman and junior guard KJ Garret scored to help the Jumbos regain the lead.
Emerson sophomore point guard Geoffrey Gray carried his team, scoring 22 points and collecting 10 rebounds in the game. Consecutive field goals from Gray kept the Lions somewhat competitive, but free throws from senior co-captain Tarik Smith and first-year center Patrick Racy as well as field goals from Feldman and junior guard Ben Engvall gave the Jumbos a seven point lead, 38-31, heading into the second half.
The Jumbos had to match up with 7'1'' Lions sophomore center Mac Sashin for half of the game, successfully shutting him down by only allowing him to score one field goal and secure four rebounds.
Tufts quickly extended its lead in the opening minutes of the second half, with Palleschi and Engvall combining for eight points to lead 46-35. Gray responded with two layups that kept the Jumbos from routing the Lions and running away with the game.
Tufts' dominance was reflected in the statistics. The Jumbos shot 46.3 percent from the field and totaled 54 rebounds. Improved rebounding has been an emphasis since pre-season training. The Jumbos scored 17 points off turnovers and had 27 bench points, demonstrating the impressive depth of the team, which is crucial for success once games are played in closer succession.
“We had a couple new guys play in the rotation and a couple guys who didn’t see as many minutes as last year,” junior guard Everett Dayton said. “After the first two games, those guys started to step it up, and we stepped up the defense for sure. We [have still allowed] over 70 points in [two] game[s], so we have a long way to go to get to the point that we want to be at, but we’re definitely on an upward trajectory.”
The impact of Tufts' bench players was apparent against MIT earlier in the week, when they scored 32 of Tufts' 74 points. Among these players was junior guard Vincent Pace, the Jumbos’ leading scorer last season, who returned this season after sustaining a torn ACL in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Pace finished with 15 points on the day.
“It’s definitely been a grind, but to get back out there with the boys and get back to competing has been worth it,” Pace said. “Its definitely been a long road, but I’m happy that I’m on the home stretch to getting back to 100 percent.”
It only took five minutes for the Jumbos to establish a lead against the Engineers. Two three-pointers from Dayton and one from Pace gave the Jumbos a nine-point lead with 12:48 left in the first half.Pace racked up eight more points in the half, including a three pointer that put the Jumbos ahead 37-23 with three minutes remaining in the half. The Engineers responded with six unanswered points to close the gap to eight leading into the second half.
The closest the Engineers ever came to a lead in the second half was a six point deficit three and a half minutes into the period. Several consecutive free throw opportunities for Pace, Palleschi and Smith, along with four points from Garrett, put the Jumbos 14 ahead with just over five minutes remaining. In the following minutes, MIT scored nine points while Tufts was silent.The Engineers pressed hard to try and take the lead as the clock dwindled, but were hindered by having to foul. Tufts converted six of its eight late game free throw opportunities to finish off the win 74-66.
One trend across the week was the high number of turnovers the Jumbos committed: 15 in each game. This is largely due to the fast-paced nature of the Tufts offense, as the team passes the ball up the court quickly rather than have one player bring the ball into the opponent's half.
Tufts hosts Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) tonight at 7 p.m, where the Jumbos will look to avenge its 85-70 loss from last season in an effort to extend their unbeaten streak to five games. Following the contest against WPI, Tufts will travel to Waltham, Mass. this weekend for the Big Four Tournament, where Tufts will take on Brandeis at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and the winner of the Babson vs. Salem State game on Saturday.
“We’re just going to go into every game with the same attitude, which is that we know we are a very good team, and if we execute and do what we need to do then we can put ourselves in a position to win every single game,” Palleschi said. “Any opponent that we go up against, we are aware of how talented of a team we are and the level that we’re able to play at. If we go in there and focus on that, then we’re a tough match up for anyone.”
Jumbos best Lions, Engineers, extend unbeaten streak to four games
