Box Score MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Junior Brennan matched his season-high with 23 points, but it wasn't enough as the No. 18 Tufts men's basketball team fell to No. 10 Middlebury, 86-74, on the road on Friday evening.
The Jumbos are 18-5 overall and 8-1 in NESCAC play after the setback. Middlebury improves to 20-3 this season, and 6-3 in conference games.
The Jumbos opened up scoring with a jumper from junior Luke Rogers and then Morris drained a three. After a Middlebury three from Matt Folger, Rogers added a layup and then Morris put the Jumbos ahead by six about two minutes into play with a layup of his own. Middlebury answered with a layup from Jack Darrell and then a layup from Griffin Kornaker cut the Jumbos lead to two, 9-7. An offensive rebound and the tip in from Folger tied things at nine about four minutes into play.
Morris sunk a three that put the Jumbos ahead again and they held on to a lead until Perry DeLorenzo put the Panthers ahead with a jumper with 14:23 to go in the first half. Senior Eric Savage made a jumper on the Jumbos' next possession to take the lead back, and that's how most of the rest of the first half would go. The game was tied four times until the Panthers were able to grow a lead right before halftime.
Down by one, 35-45, with 3:29 to go in the half the Panthers took a one-point lead thanks to a layup from Max Bosco. Folger then added a three and a jumper from DeLorenzo and a layup from Tommy Eastman put the Panthers ahead by eight, 42-34, with 1:22 to go in the half. They would take a 44-38 lead into the break.
The Panthers came out of the break and got a layup from Eastman and a three from Folger to push their lead to 11. After a three from Morris for the Jumbos, Bosco made a three for the Panthers and Griffin Kornaker made one of two at the line to put Middlebury ahead, 53-41, about two minutes into play in the second half. The Panther lead stayed around there for the about the next six minutes. Down 12 with 11:32 to go sophomore Tyler Aronson cut the lead to nine with one from downtown. But, Folger answered with a three to put the home team ahead by 12 again.
Middlebury was able to grow that lead in the later part of the second half. They would lead by as many as 19. The Jumbos got something going late in the second half. Down by 19 with 2:17 to go senior Justin Kouyoumdjian started it with a layup. Freshman Casey McLaren then added back-to-back threes to cut the lead to the lead to 11 with less than a minute to play. But that was as close as the Jumbos would get, as the Panthers picked up the 86-74 win.
Morris led the Jumbo offense with 23 points. Rogers added 19 points and 13 rebounds. Savage finished with eight points, four rebounds and four assists. Freshman Dylan Thoerner added eight points and a couple of boards off the bench.
The Panthers got 26 points from Bosco. Folger added 18 points and 16 rebounds. Eastman turned in 14 points and 11 boards. DeLorenzo helped with ten points off the bench.
The Jumbo wrap up their regular season schedule with a trip to Williams for a 3 pm start on Saturday. Middlebury hosts Bates on Saturday for a 3 pm game.
