MEDFOFD, MA (February 22, 2025) -- The No. 13 Tufts University men's basketball team, seeded No. 3 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament, used a 15-2 run over six minutes in the second half to pull away for an 80-70 win over visiting Williams College in action from Cousens Gym Saturday.
With the win, the Jumbos (21-4) will take on second-seed Trinity College in the NESCAC semifinals next Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Wesleyan University. Host Wesleyan will take on Hamilton College at 2 p.m. in the other semifinal. All four top seeds won Saturday, the first time since the 2020 NESCAC Tournament that happened in the quarterfinals.
The Jumbos started out hot out of the gates, scoring the first eight points of the game over the first 90 seconds to force a timeout by Williams. Tufts' lead would swell up 18 points with 5:32 to go in the first frame after a triple from
Dylan Reilly to make it 33-15, but that's when Williams would rally.
The Ephs finished the opening half on a 21-5 run to pull to within two at the break, including a 10-point run by Williams' Alex Lee to end the frame.
The Jumbos came out of the halftime break and pushed its edge back up to six points at 42-36 after a
Joshua Bernstein lay-up, but an 8-0 run by Williams game the Ephs their first lead of the game at 44-42 after an Aidan Yates bucket.
Williams increased its edge up to as much as six points at 59-53 on a lay-up by Hudson Hanson, but sophomore
Zion Watt answered right back with a three-pointer. Watt came out of a timeout and drilled another trifecta to tie the game, and then hit his third three of the half put Tufts ahead with 6:09 to play at 65-63.
Watt stayed hot with another three to set the crowd into a frenzy as the Jumbos went on a 15-2 run to take a 12-point lead at 77-65 with 2:33 left in the game. Lee made it a single-digit game with a three-pointer at 77-68, but
Liam Kennelly followed with the traditional three-point play to help put the game away.
Morakis was one of four players in double-digits for the Jumbos, as he tallied 18 points, five rebounds and four assists on 6-of-18 shooting. Junior
Scott Gyimesi recorded his 13th double-double of the season with 17 points, 14 rebounds and a team-high seven helpers, while Reilly went 5-of-8 from three-point range for 15 points.
Watt finished with five made three-pointers, tallying a career-high 15 points, and
Trumann Gettings came off the bench for six points. Kennelly scored five points, but was everywhere on the floor defensively with four steals, four assists and four rebounds.
Bernstein made his only two field goals for four points, adding four rebounds and blocking three shots.
Tufts shot it very well from three-point range on Saturday, going 14-of-33 from behind the arc. The 14 made three-pointers were the most in a game this season and the most in a Jumbos contest since making 15 against Lasell College back on November 21, 2019.
Lee finished with a game-high 23 points for the Ephs, making four of his seven three-pointers, and Yates tallied 16 points as well. Williams also shot it well from deep, making 40.7 percent (11-27) from three-point range. The Ephs were also 17-of-19 at the line.
The trip into the NESCAC semifinals will be the third straight for the Jumbos, who will be looking for their first NESCAC title game appearance since 2020. Tufts won its first conference crown in 2020.
--JUMBOS--
