NEW LONDON, NH (January 2, 2024) -- Sophomore guard
James Morakis tallied 17 points in just 19 minutes Tuesday afternoon, as the No. 5 Tufts University men's basketball team cruised to a 79-50 victory over host Colby-Sawyer College in action from David L. Coffin Fieldhouse.
Tufts (12-1) defensive play was on display on Tuesday, as the Jumbos held their hosts to just 35.7 percent shooting for the contest. In contrast, the three-point shooting for Tufts was solid for the second straight game as it connected for 10 triples, tying for a season-high. The 31 three-point attempts from the Jumbos were a season-high, as Colby-Sawyer played a zone for the majority of the contest.
The Jumbos scored the game's first five points on a triple and floater from Morakis, and took their first double-digit lead at 10:18 of the first half on a pair of free throws by newcomer
Liam Kennelly. The lead for Tufts would grow up to as much as 20 right before halftime, as
Khai Champion drilled a three-pointer for his 12th point of the game to make it a 40-20 contest at the break.
In the second half, Tufts would play its deep and talented bench as 10 players notched points in the period as the Jumbos rolled to the win.
Morakis was 7-of-11 on the night, adding four rebounds and three trifectas in the win. Sophomore
Scott Gyimesi notched yet another double-double, his eighth of the year, with 11 points and 11 caroms. Champion scored all 12 of his points in the opening frame, going 4-of-9 overall, and senior
Casey McLaren added nine points, seven rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.
Junior guard
Quinn Cain came off the bench to make three of his six three-pointers for nine points, and
Jay Dieterle tallied seven assists while adding a team-high plus/minus of +24. All 16 players dressed for Tufts played in the game on Tuesday.
CSC (4-9) was led by the 15 points off the bench by Jaisan Parker, and Sean Peterson tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds as well. Colby-Sawyer played just six players in the game with all but Peterson recording 30 or more minutes in the game.
Conference play will open on Friday evening for the Jumbos, as Connecticut College comes to Cousens Gymnasium at 7 p.m. for a New England Small College Athletic Conference tilt in Medford.
--JUMBOS--
