Box Score
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Kwame Firempong's free throws had given Tufts a 57-56 lead with five seconds remaining
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MIDDLETOWN, CT - For the second straight game, junior Shasha Brown scored the deciding points in a one-point Wesleyan men's basketball victory as his drive from end-to-end with 5.1 seconds to go resulted in a soft jumper from the lane at the buzzer that danced on the rim and fell through as the horn sounded to give the Cardinals a 58-57 triumph over visiting Tufts here tonight.
Wesleyan improved to 14-4 on the year, 3-2 in conference play while Tufts dipped to 11-5 overall, 3-2 in the NESCAC. Tufts plays at Connecticut College to conclude its NESCAC weekend tomorrow while Wesleyan hosts Bates.
Tuesday night, Brown netted a pair of free throws with 2.2 seconds left to decide a 68-67 contest in Wesleyan's favor over fourth-ranked nationally Amherst. Brown finished the game versus Tufts with a game-high 17 points, going 7 for 10 from the field. After sophomore Kwame Firempong (Inglewood, CA) made a pair of free throws for the Jumbos with 5.1 seconds left to spot Tufts a 57-56 lead, Brown received the inbounds pass under his own basket and raced up court before launching his game-winner from eight feet out.
Other than a brief 6-0 lead by Wesleyan to start the game, which Tufts quickly erased behind an 11-2 run to take an 11-8 lead with 14:43 to go in the first half, neither team led by more than four points over the final 37 minutes of the game. Tufts last led by four at 31-27 with 17:35 remaining, while Wesleyan forged a 46-42 edge with 9:41 to play, then held leads of 54-50 and 56-52, the last coming with 1:17 on the clock on a drive by Brown.
Tufts got a second-chance hoop from senior Alex Orchowski (Cornwall, NY) at the 1:00 mark to cut the difference to 56-54. Wesleyan then turned the ball over on its next possession before Tufts missed a three-pointer with 0:27 left. Wesleyan junior Derick Beresford was fouled with 0:25 to go, but missed the front end of a one-and-one chance. Firempong cleared the miss and Tufts got a point back from freshman Ben Ferris (Essex Junction, VT) with 0:12 to go, making the front end of his one-and-one, but missing the second as senior Jason Mendell grabbed the rebound for Wesleyan. Mendell was fouled right away, but also missed the front end of a one-and-one with 0:10.7 showing as Orchowski grabbed his fifth board of the game. Firempong then started a drive on the right side of the lane and was fouled, leading to another one-and-one opportunity. He calmly sank both to give Tufts its first lead since holding a 33-31 advantage with 15:59 to go in the second half. Brown then put the finishing touches on the outcome.
Wesleyan evened the long-standing series with Tufts at 39-39 with the victory. Tufts had earned a 79-65 win in Medford in last year's encounter as the teams have alternated triumphs over the last six meetings.
Joining Brown in double-digit scoring for Wesleyan was junior Mike Callaghan as he netted 10 along with six rebounds. Game-high honors on the boards went to Wesleyan sophomore Glen Thomas with 10.
Orchowski and junior Scott Anderson (Sudbury, MA) both scored 14 to lead Tufts while Ferris added 11. Anderson, Ferris and senior James Long (Norwell, MA) all had six caroms to pace the Jumbos on the glass.
Neither team shot particularly well at the line as Tufts was 8 for 14 with Wesleyan going 6 for 13. Still, the Cardinals hit 50 percent from the field with Tufts making 39.3 percent of its shots from the floor.
Game statistics
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Game recap courtesy of Wesleyan University
