With an 83-68 win in last night's game against Suffolk, the Jumbos (1-1) returned to the dominating form that carried them to an ECAC title last season. After a disappointing 84-70 loss to nationally-ranked Salem State the night before, Tufts proved that it could play a solid second half and more importantly, play defense.
"I thought we played with more emotion tonight for the whole game," coach Bob Sheldon said. "Tonight they went at us in the beginning, and we didn't back down. Once we came alive, we stayed there."
Suffolk got off to a quick start as the flat Jumbos were unable to sink a shot, and the Rams went on an 11-2 run to open the game. Poor rebounding and low-percentage shots frustrated Tufts in the first five minutes, and Sheldon was forced to call a timeout. Trailing 16-5, Tufts got a spark from the bench and went on a 16-4 run of their own to take the lead ? a lead they would not relinquish for remaining 27 minutes of the game.
"We started off really slow tonight," sophomore guard Brian Shapiro said. "Coach called a time out and gave us a good talk. All we needed to do was improve our defense, and that's what we did."
"We started out flat because we were a little tired from last night," Sheldon added. "They got ahead and we put some guys in off the bench who played really well."
Leading the surge was freshman point guard Phil Barlow, whose intensity coming off the bench led to the up-tempo style of play that favors the fast-paced Jumbos. Barlow, who seemed a little frantic in his collegiate debut on Monday night, was much more poised yesterday, recording ten points, six assists, and four rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
"[Monday] night he got his feet wet," Sheldon said of Barlow. "He's going to be a real good player. It was nice to see him relaxed."
The Jumbos never relented, as Shapiro and senior captain Dan Flaherty drained a series of threes, and Tufts went into the locker room with a 42-32 halftime lead. With the starting five weary from a draining loss the night before, the bench picked up the slack. In fact, while Barlow was in the game in the first half, Tufts outscored Suffolk by a 29-12 margin.
The second half began with a quick Suffolk comeback, the Rams climbing to within four points of the Jumbos before costly turnovers pushed Tufts' lead up to about ten, where it stayed for the rest of the game.
"We were playing with a lot more emotion tonight," senior guard Bobby Mpuku said. "Last night we got down, and we were playing with our heads down. Tonight the bench came in and they played really well. We knew that we couldn't afford to let this one get away."
Mpuku and Flaherty led the team in scoring, each with 16 points, and Shapiro and senior forward Fred Pedroletti also scored in double figures with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
"We came out in the second half, we didn't turn it over, and we took good shots," Flaherty said. "We took control of the game. We didn't let them in."
While the offense did an adequate job, hitting just less than 41 percent from the field, the defense was the key to the Jumbos victory. With eight steals, three blocks, and an improved performance on the defensive boards, Tufts gave Suffolk little chance to get back into the game.
"I thought we did well on the boards," Sheldon said. "From playing good defensively, it gives us better shots."
"Tonight we came out really hungry," Shapiro said. "We lost our first two games last year and it wasn't too much fun. The defense and the intensity were the most important things."
Monday night was a much different story though, as the Jumbos fell victim to a potent Salem State team by the score of 84-70. Tufts jumped out to the early 40-34 halftime lead, using speed to outplay the Vikings. Tufts shot a decent 16-35 (47.5 percent) from the field and went 5-12 from beyond the arc. Defense was hardly a problem early on, as the Jumbos recorded nine steals in the first half and caused a total of 13 turnovers.
In the second half things fell apart, though, and the Jumbos could not buy a bucket. They shot an embarrassing 17.9 percent from the field, and watched their small lead transform into a double-digit deficit. The Vikings out-rebounded and out-hustled the Jumbos, outscoring Tufts 50-30 in the second half.
The loss to Salem State can be easily brushed off, however, as Tufts returned to regular form in the win over Suffolk. With the offense starting to click, the defense holding up, and the emerging play of Barlow, the Jumbos are off and running in the 2000-01 season.
