MEDFORD, MA (January 16, 2026) -- Senior guard
James Morakis eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career Friday night, as the No. 12 Tufts University men's basketball team held Williams College to its lowest scoring total in the series since 1940 in a 65-36 win over the Ephs in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) action Friday night in Cousens Gymnasium.
The Jumbos (14-2, 3-0 NESCAC) upped their program-record winning streak to 14 games Friday, while the win was the sixth straight over Williams in the series. The 29-point win over Williams is also the largest margin of victory for Tufts all-time in a series that goes back to 1906. The 36 points allowed in a game were the fewest since a 67-36 win over Regis College back on November 20, 2012, while the point total was the fewest allowed for a Jumbos team in NESCAC play ever.
Things started slow for both squads as the two teams combined for just 15 points over the first seven minutes of the game, as a driving lay-up by
James Morakis made it 10-5 with 12:50 to go in the first half. Williams (10-5, 0-3 NESCAC) would respond with a 9-2 run over the next four minutes, taking a 14-12 lead with 8:38 to go in the first frame after an Aidan Yates lay-up.
Tufts and Williams exchanged leads twice before the Jumbos went on a 14-0 run over the next 5:20 to take a 31-19 edge. The finisher to that run was the milestone bucket for Morakis, as the senior guard weaved his way into the paint and hit a smooth fade away jump shot just in front of the Ephs' bench to hit the 1,000-point mark. Morakis became the second Jumbo this season to hit 1,000, and the 36th all-time after
Scott Gyimesi also added his name to the record books earlier this campaign in a win over MIT.
The Jumbos would eventually take a 31-20 lead into the locker room, as Williams shot just 21 percent in the opening 20 minutes. Turnovers plagued Tufts in the first half, committing 10 giveaways which turned into five Williams' points. Senior
Sidney Wooten had eight points in the first half to lead all scorers.
The second half would be dominated by the Jumbos, as a 7-0 run midway through the frame put the Jumbos up 20 at 45-25 with 8:56 to play in regulation. Minutes later, junior
Jon Medley picked off a pass in transition and put the exclamation point on the win with a thunderous dunk that got the entirety of the crowd out of its seat.
The Jumbos' lead would swell up to as much as 30 on buckets by
Theo Liu and
Lukas Schmid in rolling to the victory. The 29-point win in NESCAC play was the largest since defeating Amherst last February 7 by 39.
Tufts spear the scoring around, as senior
Joshua Bernstein had a strong game with 11 points, six rebounds and six blocks, making five of his seven field goals. Junior
Dylan Reilly had 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting, making two of his four three-pointers, and Morakis finished with nine points.
Medley tallied seven points, four assists and four rebounds, while Gyimesi tallied six points and nine rebounds while dealing with foul trouble all game.
The hosts shot 44.8 percent offensively, and shook off 16 turnovers to earn the win. The Jumbos dominated in the paint with a 38-18 edge over Williams.
The Ephs finished 11-of-55 from the field, shooting just 20.0 percent on field goals including going 2-of-21 (9.5 percent) from three-point land. Jackson Rein and EJ Sommers each had eight points to pace Williams.
Tufts will have a quick turnaround, taking on Middlebury College Saturday at 3 p.m. for Alumni Day inside Cousens Gymnasium in conference action.
--JUMBOS--
