Men's Basketball Falls at Mass.-Dartmouth in Season Opener

DARTMOUTH - The host University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Corsairs pulled away for a 92-71 victory over Tufts University in the Jumbos' 2021-22 season opener on Tuesday night.

Tyler Aronson (pictured) led the Jumbos with 15 points and added five rebounds with two assists. Dylan Thoerner scored 14 points with six rebounds and two assists for the visitors, while Carson Cohen finished with 11 points and two steals.

The Corsairs were playing their fifth game of the season and remained undefeated (5-0). Marcus Azor had a triple-double for the hosts with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Jackson Zancan added 18 points for UMD, while both Adam Seablom and Jake Ashworth finished with 12.

The game was tied 34-34 in a high-scoring first half after an Aronson lay-up with 4:44 on the clock. The Corsairs out-scored the Jumbos 16-5 over the remainder of the half and brought a 50-39 advantage into the locker room. Five points by Azor during that time and a three-pointer in the final 10 seconds of the period by Zancan led UMD's effort.

UMass Dartmouth built on its lead early in the second half, but the Jumbos mounted a comeback that brought them to within 71-63 on lay-up by Cohen assisted by Jay Dieterle at the 10-minute mark. Dieterle, who had eight points, four rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes off the bench for Tufts, scored all of his points during the 18-6 Tufts run that pulled them within eight. Thoerner added five and Aronson hit a three.

The Corsairs opened the lead back up to 13 twice, but a lay-up by Jumbo freshman Trumann Gettings (9 points, 4 rebounds off the bench in his collegiate debut) had Tufts within 78-67 at 7:19. However, consecutive three-pointers by John Martins and Isaac Percy pushed the UMD lead to 17 and the Jumbos couldn't recover.

Luke Rogers, the returning NESCAC Player of the Year and All-American, was limited for the Jumbos playing 15 minutes (six points). He and Thoerner led Tufts with six rebounds apiece. This was the Tufts debut for new head coach Brandon Linton.

Tufts gets back at it Thursday night at Suffolk. Mass.-Dartmouth plays at Westfield State on Thursday.