MEDFORD, MA (January 27, 2024) – Another solid home win for the Jumbos men's basketball squad this afternoon means another day moving up in the New England Small Athletic Conference (NESCAC) standings. The Cousens Gymnasium match-up against the Middlebury College Panthers was physically intense, but with the help of some young leadership, Tufts was able to comfortably finish with an 82-60 victory inside Cousens Gymnasium on Alumni Day.
After the upperclassmen led the Brown & Blue comeback in Friday night's game against Williams, Tufts (16-4, 3-3 NESCAC) sophomores James Morakis and Scott Gyimesi as well as freshman Jon Medley decided to take charge in today's conference showdown against Middlebury (10-10, 4-3 NESCAC). In the face of Panthers guard Noah Osher's 19 points, Morakis scored 24 points with seven rebounds and four assists.
The first half was filled with success for Tufts, starting out with a 7-0 run within the first two minutes. Middlebury faced early frustration as they struggled to convert offensive opportunities into points, and the scoreboard remained in favor of the home team until the Panthers tied it up at 18-18 with 9:35 left before halftime. Morakis had 12 of the 38 first-half points scored by the Jumbos, many of which occurred during the 10-point scoring streak that took place until just around the five-minute mark. With late heart-and-hustle baskets from Medley to close out the first 20 minutes, the score going into the second half was 38-28.
Following the break, emotions were running high and both teams came out of the locker room ready to battle for the ball. Osher and guard Kuba Cwalina (12 points) worked to give the Panthers a fighting chance, but the Jumbos continued to push back, eventually going on yet another 10-0 run in the middle of the period to go up 51-34. A dunk from guard Casey McLaren was just the spark that the Jumbos needed to further the lead over Middlebury, while Tufts center Joshua Bernstein was also on the prowl in the paint, scoring eight points for his team before fouling out with 5:57 to go.
As the game came to a close with the score sitting at 80-60, Coaches Brandon Linton and Jeff Brown cleared the benches, giving freshman guard Liam Kennelly the opportunity to put two points on the board for the 'Bos.
It was ultimately early first-half scoring struggles that prevented the Panthers from catching up offensively, and it certainly helped that Tufts shot a game-total of 55.7% from the floor. In addition to the 15 points and five rebounds from Medley, Gyimesi was out grabbing a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Jay Dieterle also played a major role in the win this afternoon with 10 points and five rebounds, while junior Bobby Stewart tallied four helpers and three points in 18 productive minutes.
The 55.7 percent shooting was a season-high for NESCAC play, while ranking second this year in shooting from the floor. Tufts dominated in the paint, holding a 60-24 edge inside.
Tufts (16-4, 3-3 NESCAC) will travel to Waterville, Maine next Friday for another NESCAC game against Colby College (9-9, 1-4 NESCAC), taking place at 7 p.m in the Margaret M. Crook Center. Make sure to check gotuftsjumbos.com as to any scheduling updates to Friday's game, while following along on social media on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @tuftsjumbos.
--JUMBOS–
