Box Score
SALEM - The Tufts University Jumbos withstood a late rally and converted all six of their free throw attempts in the final 30 seconds to take a 54-48 victory over Babson College in the opening round of the Big Four Challenge Saturday afternoon on the campus of Salem State University.
Babson, which entered the game 7-0, played from behind throughout the second half, and trailed 48-41 with 2:19 remaining. However, Russell Braithwaite (Brooklyn, NY) converted a three-point play, and Marcus McDermott (Milton, MA) turned a steal into a hoop to bring the Beavers to within two, 48-46, with 1:28 left. After a steal by Matthew Florio (Princeton, NJ), Babson had a chance to take the lead, but Braithwaite missed a contested jumper with 36 seconds left.
Sophomore Kwame Firempong (Inglewood, CA) was fouled and made both free throws to give the Jumbos a 50-46 lead. After a McDermott miss, senior Alex Orchowski (Cornwall, NY) made a pair of free throws, and Firempong made two more with seven seconds left to seal the victory for the Jumbos.
Tufts was led by junior Scott Anderson (Sudbury, MA), who finished with a game-high 15 points on 7 for 10 shooting. Firempong joined him in double figures with 10 points. The Jumbos shot just 1 for 12 from three-point range and committed 19 turnovers.
Babson was led by Braithwaite, who finished with nine points and a game-high nine rebounds. McDermott also scored nine points and Alex Rudolph (Bal Harbour, FL) added eight, as the Beavers shot just 36 percent from the field and committed 21 turnovers.
Tufts, now 5-1, advances to the championship game where it will take on the host Vikings at 3 pm tomorrow. Babson will play Brandeis in the consolation game at 1 pm tomorrow.
Neither team played particularly well in the first half. Tufts used a 14-2 run to take a 22-10 lead, but Babson scored the final eight points of the period and trailed just 24-20 at intermission. The teams combined for 23 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, and between them went just 2 for 14 from three-point range.
Game statistics
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Game release courtesy of Salem State
