Box Score SALEM – The Tufts University men's basketball team fell to Babson College in the New England Big Four Challenge championship game, hosted by Salem State on Sunday afternoon, 99-85.
The Jumbos fall to 6-2 on the season while the Beavers improve to 9-0.
Babson's Frank Oftring made the first basket of the contest with a layup. Juniors Luke Rogers and Brennan Morris responded with a free throw and a jump shot to give the Jumbos the lead. Andrew Jaworski was fouled on a three-point shot. He made all three free throws and Oftring added a layup to give the Beavers a 7-3 lead. Tufts quickly rallied as Morris and sophomore Tyler Aronson hit triples to take the lead at 9-7, and Aronson made another layup to make the score 11-7, less than five minutes into play.
A quick 9-4 run for Babson got them from a seven-point deficit to just two as Oftring finished off a layup to make the score 18-14. Senior Eric Savage got the scoring back in Tufts' favor with a layup, but Jaworski made a three-pointer to cut the lead to one with 13:42 remaining in the half.
A pair of free throws by Oftring swapped the lead and gave Babson a one-point advantage. Colin Bradanese and Savage traded baskets to keep the lead at one. However, seven consecutive points by Andrew Kirkpatrick, Matt Pattyson, and Bradanese gave Babson an eight-point advantage at 30-22.
The Beavers continued to apply the pressure and extend their lead as a jumper by Jaworski and a layup by Oftring gave them a 12-point lead, just past the middle point of the half.
A Jaworski three-pointer gave Babson a 15-point lead, its largest of the half with 6:29 remaining. However, sophomore Carson Cohen and freshman Casey McLaren both made shots for Tufts that cut the lead down to 10. Another Jaworksi layup was traded out by a pair of Cohen free throws as Babson led, 46-36, with 4:08 remaining before the break.
Tufts managed to cut the lead back to single digits as McLaren found himself wide open in the corner after strong ball movement by Tufts. His three-pointer made the score 51-42 in favor of the Beavers. However, Crew Ainge sunk two free throws to return the lead to double digits. Freshman Dylan Thoerner sunk a layup, then Bradanese responded with a layup and a three to get Babson a 14-point lead. Savage and Ainge traded layups in the last minute as Babson held a 60-46 lead headed to the half. Babson shot a blistering 70.0 percent from the field compared to 53.1 percent for the Jumbos.
Babson continued their hot shooting to start off the second half as Ainge and Jack Coolahan sunk a three-pointer and a layup to give the Beavers a 19-point lead. Cohen and Aronson responded with scores, but five consecutive points by Oftring grew the lead to 20. After an Ainge three-point play, Tufts sunk three straight shots as McLaren and Savage fired threes and junoir Luke Rogers added a layup in between. That put Tufts down 13 at 73-60.
After a Rogers free throw, Bradanese made a layup. Savage fired a triple that was matched 20 seconds later by Jaworksi. That kept the lead at 14 with 11:40 remaining in regulation. Coolahan and Jaworksi capitalized on their shots to extend the lead back to 19 with 8:55 to go. Tufts quickly got back on the board with an Aronson three and a Cohen jumper. Aingle and McLaren both earned layups as Tufts trailed 87-71.
Babson rattled off 11 straight points to double their lead with 4:02 remaining. Juniors Will Brady and Justin Kouyoumdjian and sophomore Emmett Stein got the lead back down to 14 for Tufts. However, with the time remaining the lead was too large as Babson earned the New England Big Four tournament crown.
Tufts finished the contest with a shooting percentage of 48.4 percent compared to Babson's 57.8 percent. The Jumbos fired 31 three-pointers, making 13 of them while the Beavers were 11 of 25 from beyond the arc.
Cohen, who earned All-Tournament team honors, led the Jumbos with 19 points. He also had team-highs in rebounds and assists with seven and five. Savage tallied 15 points with four rebounds and an assist. Aronson and McLaren chipped in double-digit scoring performances as well.
Oftring led all players with 29 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double. Jaworksi added 26 points, including 5 of 8 from three. Bradanese and Ainge had double-digit points. Ainge also had a game-high seven assists.
Cohen was named to the All-Tournament team.
Tufts travels to UMass Boston on Wednesday in their last contest of the semester. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm. The Beavers head to Trinity on Monday, December 30th, for the Trinity Holiday Invitational. They will matchup with Eastern Connecticut State with a 7pm tip-off.
