MEDFORD, MA (January 20, 2024) -- The No. 24 Tufts University men's basketball team used a 14-4 run early in the second half to pull away from the visiting Bobcats of Bates College, as the Jumbos earned their first New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) victory of the season with an 83-62 win in Cousens Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
The difference of the game was Tufts ability to break down Bates' zone defense inside, which led to a large 44-20 edge in paint points, some of which was attributed to getting out in transition and posting 27 fast break points Saturday.
It did take some time though for the Jumbos to figure out the Bobcat (2-15, 0-4 NESCAC) defense, as Bates led 12-7 seven minutes into the game after a triple from Elliott Cravitz. Tufts responded after a timeout to go on an 11-0 spurt thanks to a pair of threes from
Dylan Reilly and another trifecta from
Khai Champion. Tufts would grow its lead up to as much as 11 in the first half at 34-23 on a bucket from Champion, but seven consecutive points from the Bobcats made it 34-29 at the break.
Early in the second half, Bates pulled to within four twice, with the latest coming at 38-34 three minutes into the period. Tufts would start to hit its stride in the second half as it posted that decisive 14-4 run to give Tufts a 14-point lead at 52-38 following a three-point play from
Scott Gyimesi. The Jumbos continued to add onto its lead, leading by as many as 23 points late as it picked up the important league victory.
Sophomore
Joshua Bernstein had his best game of the new semester, as he was 6-of-7 from the floor including a monster two-handed dunk midway through the second half. Bernstein also added two blocks, two steals and eight rebounds. Gyimesi just missed another double-double with 11 points and nine boards, while Champion was 5-of-9 from the field en route to 14 points.
Sophomore guard
James Morakis made five of his 11 field goals for 11 points, while senior
Jay Dieterle was efficient with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting with five assists. Reilly added a career-high nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the three-point arc, and
Bobby Stewart tallied six points and three assists. First-year
Jon Medley also tallied six rebounds and five points, providing strong defense as well.
The Jumbos shot 57 percent in the second half, finishing the game 33-of-64 (51.6 percent) on field goal attempts. The 51.6 percent shooting was the third-highest shooting performance for Tufts this season. Tufts held a 41-32 edge in rebounds, while also turning the ball over just nine times on the day.
Babacar Pouye tallied 15 points, hitting three trifectas, and Marc Begin II tallied 13 points on 6-of-18 shooting. Bates shot 37.1 percent on the day, making 23 of its 62 field goals on the night. Bates did hold an 11-3 edge on second-chance points.
Tufts (14-4, 1-3 NESCAC) will be back in Cousens Gymnasium on Friday, January 26 at 7 p.m., hosting Williams College for another NESCAC tilt in Medford, MA.
--JUMBOS--
