Box Score
MEDFORD - Junior tri-captain Scott Anderson (Sudbury, MA) scored 16 points and freshman Ben Ferris (Essex Junction, VT) added 14 with eight rebounds as the Tufts men's basketball team took a 64-59 victory against Colby College in NESCAC action on Saturday afternoon at Cousens Gym.
The Jumbos led for all but a few minutes, including 31-22 at halftime. However, Colby made a game of it by getting within three points on four occasions in the second half. Tufts was up by 13, 49-36, with nine minutes remaining. Colby pulled within 58-55 with 30 seconds left, but the Jumbos sealed the win with a 6 for 6 performance at the line from sophomore Oliver Cohen (Penn Valley, PA), Anderson and Ferris in the final 29 seconds.
Tufts earned a sweep of their NESCAC weekend, including their 82-70 win over Bowdoin on Friday night. The Jumbos are now 10-4 overall and 3-1 in NESCAC. Colby remained winless in the league at 0-3 while dropping to 4-10 overall.
An early 9-2 run put the hosts up 22-12 on a layup by senior Alex Orchowski (Cornwall, NY) with 6:49 remaining until halftime. The Jumbos maintained a decent advantage for the remainder of the period. Anderson had 10 points at intermission for the Jumbos, while Colby senior tri-captain Ben Foreman (Los Angeles, CA) had a team-high eight.
Colby opened the second half with an 8-2 run that made it a 33-30 game with 15:32 on the clock. Foreman had six points during the stretch. The Jumbos were able to push their margin into double-digits and led 43-32 at the end of a 10-2 run capped by a pair of free throws from Ferris. Tufts was up 49-36 at the 8:56 mark on Anderson's layup.
The Mules chipped away and had the lead down to four (52-48) after a layup by senior tri-captain Eric Beaulieu (Concord, MA) at the five-minute mark. That was part of a 12-3 Colby run. However, Jumbo junior Alex Goldfarb (New York, NY) nailed a three from the corner on Tufts' next trip up the floor. A layup by Ferris made it 57-48 Jumbos at 4:17.
Colby scored seven of the next eight points and was within 58-55 after three free throws by Foreman with 30 seconds remaining. Tufts was able to keep the Mules at bay from the free throw line.
Anderson made 5 of 9 shots and was 6 for 6 at the line for his 16 points. The Jumbos won the battle of the boards 35-29, led by Ferris' eight and seven more by Orchowski. Cohen had three assists and Firempong made three steals defensively. Tufts finished at 23 for 58 from the field (39.7 perecent), but just 4 for 19 (21.1 percent) from three-point land. They were 14 for 18 at the line (77.8 percent).
Foreman's 21 points for Colby was the game-high. He was 12 for 13 at the line and passed out a game-high five assists. Beaulieu was the only other Mule to score in double figures with 10. Senior Alex Swanson (Lancaster, PA) grabbed eight rebounds. Colby was an excellent 87-percent at the line (20/23), while going 18 for 43 (41.9 percent) from the floor. They hit 3 of 12 trifectas (25 percent).
The Jumbos continue a three-game homestand with a non-conference game against Suffolk on Tuesday night at Cousens. Colby is off until hosting Trinity in conference play next Friday night.
Game statistics
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