Jumbos rebound from loss to Bates with win against Lesley

The Tufts men's basketball team, ranked third in the Northeast region, split its last two games, pushing its overall record to 13–5 (3–2 NESCAC). Tufts suffered a disheartening home loss to Bates on Saturday, then responded with a dominant road win over Lesley two days later. The resilience and grit which the Jumbos have displayed all season, through injuries and misfortune, now set the tempo for their final stretch of games.

Tufts played an uneven first half against Lesley (10–8) on Monday. They got off to a hot start, opening the game on an 8–0 run, and quickly built the advantage to 13.However, the Lynx chipped away at the visitors' lead, cutting it to six with 12:46 remaining in the half.Despite the hot shooting of senior guard and co-captain Vincent Pace (3-for-4 from beyond the arc in the first half), Lesley continued to take over and claimed its first lead of the game, 28–26, on a three-pointer from junior forward Joey Martin. Aided by back-to-back threes from first-year guard Will Brady, Tufts regained a 39–37 lead at halftime.

The Jumbos came out of the locker room with renewed focus and energy, consistently generating open looks.They opened up the floodgates with a barrage of threes, led by Pace, who put up 15 of his 26 points after halftime. In the second half, the Jumbos scored with remarkable efficiency — 62.9 percent from the field — while holding the Lynx to just a 37.1 shooting percentage.This discrepancy caused the lead to balloon, as the Tufts pulled away for a 97-74 win.The Jumbos’ 97 points was a season high.

"I thought we moved the ball well, particularly by driving and kicking it out," Pace said. "It helps when you shoot the ball well from three, which we did. Guys are working hard in the gym and getting a lot of extra shots up, so hopefully this shooting success will continue and we’ll continue to get good looks on offense."

Senior guard and co-captain Everett Dayton saw the team’s lockdown performance on the other side of the ball as the primary catalyst for its success.

"The biggest difference between the first and second halves was our defensive effort and execution," he said. "We played with a lot more energy and focus on defense in the second half. We’re a team that likes to run, so getting stops made our transition offense a lot more effective."

Dayton also praised Brady, who provided a spark with five three-pointers, along with the rest of the first-years.

"Will’s performance against Lesley was awesome," Daylon said. "We aren’t really surprised because Will has been shooting like that all year in the preseason and in practice, but it was great to see him step up and hit some big threes when he got the chance in a game. All of our [first-years] have been great this year — they came into the season ready to contribute in any way possible."

Saturday’s game against the Bates Bobcats (9–9, 2–3 NESCAC) provided a difficult learning experience for the Jumbos. Bates built up a lead over much of the first half, stretching it to 21–13 before Tufts began to make its run. Behind well-balanced scoring, Tufts stormed back to take a 29–28 lead with 6:55 remaining in the half. The teams went back-and-forth for the rest of the half, with neither stretching a lead beyond one possession until Bates' sophomore guard Jeff Spellman scored twice before the break for a four-point advantage, 41–37. 

The Jumbos came out firing in the second half and built up a 53-47 advantage behind Pace, who finished with a game-high 24 points. Tufts held its lead until late in the game, when consecutive three-pointers by Bates' sophomore guard Tom Coyne tied the score at 73. Tufts first-year Luke Rogers quickly converted a layup to break the tie, but Bates roared back, as sophomore guard Nick Gilpin scored consecutive baskets, the second of which won the game with 13 seconds left. The Jumbos allowed the visitors to shoot 42.3 percent from long range, as they struggled to shake off the defensive woes that have plagued them at points this season.

Despite the last-second heartbreak, the Tufts players did not allow themselves to wallow in defeat, according to Pace.

"We had a good day in practice that Sunday, and then it was a quick turnaround with the game on Monday," Pace said. "So we just didn’t linger on it and tried to move forward and get back on the right track."

Dayton shared these sentiments, detailing the lessons that the team learned.

"Our loss to Bates reinforced that there are no easy games in the NESCAC," he said. "We have to show up with the same intensity and effort every game. I think it forced us to put extra emphasis going forward on our defensive intensity and communication. We know that when we play well on defense, our offense clicks better and we are a really tough team to beat."

The Jumbos' defensive improvement was obvious on Monday, as was the marked effect that it can have on their offense. Tufts’ remarkable second half showed a stark contrast from Saturday's streakier performance, and the team will look to maintain a strong defensive effort to complement its explosive scoring. 

The Jumbos travel to New London, Conn., where they will take on the Conn. College Camels (6–11, 0–5 NESCAC) tonight at 7 p.m.