COLLEGE MEN'S
BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Wesleyan 98, Tufts 93 4ot
At Middletown, CT
Friday, January 29, 2010
Game
Statistics
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Senior tri-captain Jon Pierce was one of two
Jumbos to top 30 points in the game
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MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- In a four-overtime marathon, Wesleyan
University (8-11, 1-4 NESCAC) took a 98-93 win over visiting Tufts
University (5-13, 1-4) in a NESCAC men's basketball game on Friday
night.
The host Cardinals went ahead for good in the final extra frame
when freshman Greg St. Jean connected for a three-pointer in the
opening minute giving the Cardinals an 88-87 lead. Wesleyan widened
the gap to 94-90 when freshman Dave Fogel put home a banker with
2:07 left.
Tufts drew within one after a free throw by senior Jon
Pierce (Belmont, MA) and a basket by senior Dave Beyel (Ocean City, NJ) with :30 left. After Fogel, who
picked up 18 points in the contest, sank a pair at the line with
:20 left, Beyel's attempt to tie with a three-pointer missed the
mark. Wesleyan appeared to get the rebound, but was called for
traveling, giving the Jumbos another chance. Again, a
three-pointer, this time by freshman Alex Goldfarb (New
York, NY), failed to connect and St. Jean cleared the
board, was fouled, and made two more at the line for the final
margin of 98-93 with less than a second remaining.
Wesleyan was led by freshman Shasha Brown with 30 points, but he
missed the final overtime due to cramps. Tufts got 34 from Beyel
for game-high honors and Pierce was right behind with 32. Each had
a double-double as Pierce had 13 rebounds while Beyel had 10. Also
with a double-double for Tufts was freshman Scott Anderson
(Sudbury, MA) with 10 points and a game-high 14
rebounds.
St. Jean had the lone double-double for the Cardinals with 14
points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Jason Mendell also hit
double-digits in the scoring department with 15 for Wesleyan.
Wesleyan had the final shot in regulation with the score tied,
and had the same game-winning opportunity in each of the first two
overtimes, only to come up short each time. Tufts had the final
attempt in the third OT, but also came away empty.
Wesleyan enjoyed the game's largest lead in the first half at
32-18 with seven minutes to go before intermission. Tufts recovered
and took its first lead since holding a 4-2 edge in the opening
moments when Beyel hit a trey with 8:58 left in regulation to give
the Jumbos a 54-51 lead. Tufts extended its advantage to 63-58 with
4:20 left. Wesleyan took a 64-63 lead and Tufts tied it with 2:13
left on a Pierce free throw. There was no further scoring in
regulation though Wesleyan took the final five shots of the period
on the same possession.
Wesleyan led 71-67 in the first OT, but Tufts came back to tie
on a 10-foot jumper by Beyel with :21 to go. Tufts built a 78-73
lead in the second OT only to have Wesleyan come back to tie at
78-78 on a Brown three-pointer with :58 to go. Each team missed its
last attempt of the frame. The third OT belonged to Wesleyan early
with an 84-80 margin. Again Tufts responded and went ahead 85-84 on
two Beyel free throws with :50 to go. The Cardinals got a free
throw from Fogel to tie with :36, but he missed the second. Tufts
final shot missed, moving the teams into a fourth extra period.
Wesleyan hosts Bates Saturday to close out its NESCAC weekend.
Tufts will be at Connecticut College Saturday to put the finishing
touches on its NESCAC road trip.
Game release courtesy of Wesleyan University.
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