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

Jumbos go 3–1 to start NESCAC play during successful winter break run

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Sophomore guard Eric Savage dribbles down the court in a 77–67 loss to Salem State at Cousens Gymnasium on Dec. 1, 2017.

With winter recess in session, the Jumbos were able to put down the books for a few weeks and pick up some key wins as conference play in the NESCAC began. The team played six games during break, putting up a 5–1 record and most recently losing to Middlebury — a loss that snapped Tufts’ nine-game winning streak.

Their holiday slate began with a trip to California, where the Jumbos took on the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens (then 2-8) and the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags (then 3-6), picking up wins in both contests.

On Dec. 28, against the Sagehens, the Jumbos were able to eke out a close 7775 win, thanks to clutch free throws from first-year guard Justin Kouyoumdjian with a few seconds left on the clock. Bench contributions from guys like Kouyoumdjian keyed the win over Pomona-Pitzer — the Jumbos led the Sagehens 37-5 in bench scoring — and many others during the win streak. 

Eighteen of those 37 points came from senior guard KJ Garrett, who played his first game of the season due to a hand injury. With six boards, three assists and three steals to boot, it was a pretty good debut for a guy who had even more to celebrate that day: his birthday.

“It felt pretty good to be back, and it just also happened to be my birthday, so my parents were able to come out and watch me play,” Garrett said.

The team’s tour de California came to an end the next night, as the Jumbos recorded a 7163 victory against the Stags.Similar to the night before, when it trailed 110 early, Tufts had to surmount an early 144 deficit before eventually putting Claremont-Mudd-Scripps away.

Tufts was able to make up for its shooting struggles by getting to the line, scoring 22 points from the charity strike as opposed to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’ nine. Despite the Jumbos’ lack of size, they were also able to dominate the boards, winning the rebound battle 49–31. Top contributions included a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds from senior guard and co-captain Vincent Pace and 18 points and seven boards from sophomore guard Eric Savage.

“It feels like everything’s starting to gel a little bit, especially defensively,” Savage said. “Even though we’re not typically known as a team that holds other teams down on the scoring column, we’ve started to do that a little bit, and when you’re doing that you ... get away with some poor offensive performances and end up pulling out some games you wouldn’t normally win.”

Savage is right: The defense is holding opponents to an average of 72.5 points per game this year, which would be its best mark since the 2014–15 season. Tufts held teams under 70 points in three of its six victories during winter break.

On Jan. 5, the Jumbos hosted the Colby Mules (then 7-3) in a first NESCAC matchup of the season that was anything but low-scoring. In an offensive barrage at Cousens Gym, Tufts put up 94 points — tied for a season high — in defeating the visitors 9483.

Unlike the previous weekend, Tufts didn’t need to mount a comeback, as the hosts went wire-to-wire without trailing, despite Colby’s best offensive efforts.Tufts was buoyed by Pace and senior guard Everett Dayton, who each put up 22 points. Dayton, a co-captain, impressively managed to post his nine baskets in only 16 minutes of action.

The Jumbos rode that wave of momentum into the weekend, as they cruised to a comfortable 8765 victory over the visiting Bowdoin Polar Bears (then 9–2).Tufts was hot from behind the arc all night, shooting 51.5 percent from deep. The team's 17 three-pointers were a season high, keying another low-stress win; for the second night in a row, the Jumbos never trailed. Pace and Savage each put up 16 to lead the team.

The Jumbos' final two games of winter break — on the road against the Williams Ephs (then 11–2) and the Middlebury Panthers (then 10–3) — also proved to be their toughest. The matchup against Williams was a test that Tufts had been looking forward to all season. The Ephs were ranked fourth in the country at the time and boast one of the best defenses in the NESCAC, allowing only 64.3 points per game.

“We spent about three or four days preparing for that [Williams] game,” Garrett said. “We weren’t even thinking about Middlebury all that much at that point.”

That preparation turned into a 6963 win for the Jumbos when it was all said and done. It didn’t come easy, however, as Tufts found itself down 6352 with 6:13 left to play in the second half. Williams didn't score another point in the game. The Jumbos' resulting 170 run was a culmination of resilience, staunch defense and steady scoring that led them to their third straight NESCAC win and ninth-straight victory overall.Savage led the team with 13 points, and Pace put up his fourth consecutive double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds.

"We were shooting well," coach Bob Sheldon said of the team's winning streak. "We were getting out, we were running, we played some good defense ... I think we were just gelling."

Tufts' run finally came to an end the next night at No. 14 Middlebury.The Panthers put on a show in the second half with 42 points, and the Jumbos ultimately fell 7863. With 50.3 boards per game, Middlebury is by far the best rebounding team in the NESCAC; Tufts couldn’t keep up with the hosts' size, as Middlebury won the rebounding battle 70–41, thanks to 33 offensive boards.

“I think we kind of ran out of gas, so to speak,” Savage said. “Friday, we were in a dogfight with Williams. It was a hot gym, and most of the guys in our rotation played minutes in the 30s or the high 20s, so we were extremely tired against Middlebury's relatively more fresh team.”

Sheldon agreed, noting the challenge of playing back-to-back conference games.

"Saturdays in the NESCAC are kind of weird," Sheldon said. "You have a Friday game that you prepare all week for, and then you have a Saturday game with a turnaround of only a few hours."

Garrett led the team with a strong 20 points and nine rebounds off the bench, a good sign after he sustained a minor ankle injury that kept him out of the first weekend of NESCAC play. He’s recovering well and still putting up good performances, which is exactly what the Jumbos need as they enter the thick of the conference season. With the entire roster healthy except for senior guard and co-captain Ben Engvall, the team is coming to form at the perfect time. 

Overall, the Jumbos sit at 12–4 on the year, with a 3–1 record in NESCAC action, which ties them for second in the conference with Middlebury and WilliamsThe team continues conference play with a home matchup against Bates on Saturday. Given their winter break and first few conference games, the Jumbos feel pretty good about their prospects for the final stretch of the regular season. Another positive: four of their six remaining NESCAC contests are at home.

“I’m very confident in our guys and our team,” Savage said. “I think we can beat anybody in [the NESCAC], as well as anybody in the country. We have more talent than anyone, so all we have to do is play hard and with heart. We could go without losing another game, and it wouldn’t surprise me.”