Box Score
BOSTON - Senior tri-captain Ryan Spadaford scored 20 points with 10 rebounds as the Tufts Men's Basketball team opened its 2015-16 season with an 86-83 victory at Emerson College on Friday night.
A 6-0 spurt in the middle of the second half gave Tufts the last lead in a close contest and the Jumbos held off a late Lion run. Junior tri-captain Tom Palleschi added 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Jumbos (1-0).
Senior Michael Thorpe led the hosts with 18 points and classmate Austin Pinckney finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Emerson fell to 1-3 overall.
The Lions led 57-56 on a lay-up by senior Sean Duffy at the 10-minute mark of the second half. A Palleschi jumper put Tufts up 58-57 and then he had consecutive defensive rebounds leading to baskets by sophomore Vincent Pace and Spadaford that put Tufts up 62-57.
The Jumbos would expand their lead to nine with three balls by Spadaford, junior Tarik Smith and Pace for a 75-66 advantage with 4:54 on the clock. The Jumbo lead was at seven (81-74) on a pair of free throws by sophomore Everett Dayton with 35 seconds remaining in regulation, but the Lions would make it interesting.
Sophomore Michael Sheng was fouled while attempting a three-pointer and made all three cutting Tufts' lead to 81-77 with 25 seconds to go. Everett would add three more free throws for the Jumbos in the next 10 seconds, but a tradition three-point play by senior Tyson Hallowell and a three-pointer by Thorpe had Emerson within 85-83 with five seconds remaining. Smith added a free throw for the Jumbos, but the Lions' last gasp ended with an offensive foul.
The Jumbos had led 40-34 at halftime and were up 44-36 on a Spadaford basket one minute into the second half. An 11-4 run by the Lions led by six points from Thorpe closed the gap to 48-47 four minutes into the period. It was a one-point game either way for most of the next six minutes until the Jumbos took a lead they would ultimately not relinquish.
Tufts made 26 of 31 free throw attempts in the game (83.9 percent) and out-scored the Lions 11-2 at the line in the first half helping them to their intermission lead. Six Jumbos finished with at least eight points, including 12 by Smith. Dayton was clutch at the line down the stretch and finished with nine points.
Hallowell added 14 points for Emerson, who shot well at 46.3 percent overall (31/67) and 36.8 from three (7/19).
The Jumbos play again tomorrow in their home opener against Wentworth at 2 pm. The Lions are next in action on Monday at Lesley.
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