Box Score
MEDFORD - The Tufts men's basketball team reached its highest point total in more than four years with a 98-65 victory over the Suffolk University Rams in a non-conference game at Cousens Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Senior Alex Orchowski (Cornwall, NY) led five Jumbos who scored in double digits with 15 points.
Twelve different players overall scored points for the Jumbos, who won for the fifth time in six January games to improve to 11-4. The 98 points matched the amount that the team scored in a 98-88 victory over Clark on December 8, 2007. For Suffolk (5-9), junior Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, MA) scored the 1,000th point of his career in the first half and finished with game-highs of 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Despite the 33-point final margin, Suffolk was in the game at halftime. They trailed 46-35 behind 18 points from Pepdjonovic. He scored his 1,000th on a free throw at the 12:25 mark. The Rams were within 42-35 after Pepdjonovic's layup with 2:52 remaining until intermission. Sophomore Tom Folliard (Richmond, VA) had a hot hand for Tufts in the first 20, making six of eight shots for 12 points. The Jumbos out-rebounded Suffolk 25-10 in the first half.
Tufts opened the second half with a 13-2 run that put them up by 22 (59-37) on a jumper by freshman guard C.J. Moss (Westport, MA) at the 16-minute mark. He and Orchowksi both had six points during the run that basically put the game away. The Rams would get no closer than 18 points the rest of the way.
The Jumbo lead touched 30 at 10:51 on a three-pointer by sophomore Andrew Dowton (Canton, MA), who matched a career-high with nine points and had six rebounds in 11 minutes. The final margin would be the largest of the game.
Folliard finished with 13 points, as did freshman guard Ben Ferris (Essex Junction, VT). Junior tri-captain Scott Anderson (Sudbury, MA) had 11 points and seven rebounds, while senior Amauris Quezada (New York, NY) totaled 10 points in nine minutes. The Jumbos more than doubled the Rams in rebounding 53-25, with senior tri-captain James Long (Norwell, MA) adding nine. They had 23 assists on 41 baskets, including six by Moss. Tufts finished at 53.2 percent shooting overall (41/77), including 9 for 19 (47.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
Junior guard Chris Torres (Brockton, MA) was the only other Ram to score in double-digits with 11 points. Suffolk finished at 42.6 percent shooting (26/61).
The Jumbos play a big NESCAC game at Wesleyan next on Friday night at 8 pm. Suffolk is at Rivier for a GNAC contest on Thursday night at 7.
Game statistics
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