Box Score
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Sophomore Kwame Firempong was named to the All-Tournament Team, scoring 32 points total
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SALEM - Junior Scott Anderson (Sudbury, MA) scored 20 points and was named tournament MVP, as the Tufts University Jumbos captured the New England Big Four Challenge championship with an 85-73 victory over host Salem State on Sunday afternoon.
The Jumbos improved to 6-1 with the win, while Salem State fell to 6-2.
After Salem State scored the game's first basket, the Jumbos went on a 10-2 run and kept the lead until midway through the second half, when Salem State tied the game at 49. The Jumbos scored the next six points and took a 55-49 lead after First-year Ben Ferris (Essex Junction, VT) drilled a three with 12 minutes left. The Vikings fought back, however, and took a brief lead, 63-62 thanks to back-to-back hoops by brothers Dan Clark (Deerfield, MA) and Brian Clark (Deerfield, MA).
The Jumbos responded, as sophomore Oliver Cohen (Penn Valley, PA) hit a three to spark a 9-2 run that gave Tufts the lead for good, 71-65 with five minutes left. SSU drew within four on two separate occasions, but sophomore Kwame Firempong (Inglewood, CA), who was named to the All-Tournament Team, made 10 straight free throws in the final two minutes to secure the victory.
Anderson finished 9 for 17 from the field and averaged 17.5 points during the tournament. Firempong finished with 22 points, including a perfect 12 for 12 from the free throw line.
Salem State was led by Andrew White (Medford, MA), who scored a career-high 22 points on 8 for 12 shooting. Brian Clark finished with 14 points for the Vikings, who shot just 41 percent (12/29) from the field in the second half.
Tufts led 41-37 at halftime, despite the Vikings shooting 52 percent (14/27). Anderson scored 14 points, as the Jumbos built an 11-point lead, but Brian Clark hit two jumpers and White drained a three in the final minute to narrow the deficit.
The New England Big Four Challenge was started two years ago and features four of the top Division III collegiate teams in the Boston area.
Tufts University, Babson College, Brandeis University and Salem State University, will square off annually for the Crotty Cup which was named after Middlesex Magic AAU founder, Mike Crotty Sr.
Brandeis won the first two tournaments. The Judges defeated the Jumbos 60-52 in last season's championship.
Tufts will host Plymouth State at 8 pm on Tuesday. The Vikings return to action Thursday night when they travel to Cambridge to take on MIT at 7 pm.
Game Statistics
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Game release courtesy of Salem State
