MEDFORD, MA (February 8, 2025) -- Hosting No. 15 Tufts University built a commanding first-half lead and held off Hamilton College in the second half to secure an 84-69 victory in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Cousens Gym.
The Jumbos came out firing, scoring 52 points in the first half while shooting an impressive 67.9% from the field. They carried a 27-point lead into halftime and managed to maintain control despite a stronger second-half effort from the Continentals.
Scott Gyimesi led the way for Tufts with a double-double, posting 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting while grabbing 10 rebounds. Joshua Bernstein added 20 points, missing just one shot all game (9-of-10 FG) as he tied his career-high, while James Morakis contributed 14 points and six rebounds.
The Jumbos dominated the paint, outscoring Hamilton 52-26 inside, whick included eight points off the bench from Trumann Gettings.Â
Hamilton's Hank Morgan kept his team in the game, pouring in a game-high 31 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including two three-pointers. Matthew Rideout added 13 points, and Teja Singh finished with 11, but the Continentals struggled from deep, hitting just 30.4% of their three-point attempts.
Tufts won the rebounding battle 40-28 and turned 12 Hamilton turnovers into 16 points. While the Continentals improved their shooting in the second half (53.3%), the early deficit was too much to overcome.
With the win, Tufts improves to 19-4 overall and 7-2 in NESCAC play, while Hamilton falls to 17-5 (5-3 NESCAC). With the win, Tufts clinches a NESCAC Quarterfinal home game.Â
The Jumbos will have eight days off before finishing the regular season on Senior Day against Bates College inside Cousens Gymnasium Sunday, February 16 at 1 p.m. in Medford.Â
--JUMBOS--
