Box Score SALEM - Junior Ryan Spadaford hit a three-pointer with two seconds left in overtime to lift the Tufts University Men's Basketball team to a dramatic 83-80 win over 11th-ranked Babson College in the New England Big 4 Challenge final at Salem State University on Sunday.
> Watch Spadaford's game-winning shot
The Jumbos (5-2) won the tournament for the second time since it started in 2009, including 2011. Sophomore Vincent Pace, who scored 25 points in Tufts' 90-77 win over the host Vikings on Saturday, led Tufts in the final with 25 points. He was named the tournament MVP.
Babson (6-2), which was seeking its third straight New England Big 4 championship, was led by junior Isaiah Nelsen's 22 points.
Tufts stormed to a 16-point halftime lead at 40-24, but the Beavers erased the deficit in the first 12 minutes of the second half. That set up a dramatic conclusion, as Spadaford's lay-up with 35 seconds remaining in regulation and Nelsen going one for two on free throws with 22 seconds on the clock tying the score at 73-73. The Jumbos turned the ball over trying to set up a potential game-winning shot.
Into overtime, Tufts struck first on a three-pointer by Pace at 4:12. Babson took a 78-76 edge with a 5-0 spurt including four points by Bradley Jacks. Four Tufts points, three by junior Tarik Smith, surrounded two Beaver misses giving Tufts an 80-78 edge with 42 seconds remaining. Joey Flannery made two free throws for Babson tying the game at 80-80 with 30 seconds to go before Spadaford drilled the winner.
A 14-0 Tufts run had turned an early 10-2 deficit into a 16-10 Jumbo lead. Pace had five points during the run as he and sophomore Ben Engvall both hit threes. Leading 23-20 with 5:15 to go until halftime, the Jumbos closed with a 17-4 stretch to lead 40-26 at the break. Pace scored eight points and Smith tallied six during the run.
Babson started the second half with a 10-2 run that closed the margin to 42-34. Flannery had five and Nelsen scored four. Pace's dunk had Tufts up nine (53-44) with 12:49 on the second-half clock, but Babson would take the lead over the next five minutes. A 14-4 Beavers run gave them a 58-57 advantage at 8:01. Sophomore Nick Comenale drained two threes during that run.
The Beavers were up six on junior Charlie Rice's free throw at 3:44, but Babson would not make a field goal in the final four minutes of regulation. The Jumbos chipped away - including clutch free throws by Pace and Engvall - until Spadaford's lay-up with 35 seconds remaining gave them a 73-72 lead. Nelsen sent it to overtime with his free throw.
Spadaford finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds for Tufts. Smith, named to the All-Tournament team, added 19 points on 7 for 10 shooting with 5 assists. Engvall scored 12 off the bench. Pace had 6 rebounds and 4 assists to go with his 25 points. The Jumbos finished with 15 offensive rebounds leading to 17 points.
Flannery had a double-double for Babson with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jacks finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds for Babson, while Comenale was 4 for 4 on threes for 12 points. Nelsen had 8 rebounds to go with his team-high in points.
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