The men's basketball team has come back from large deficits in three of its last four conference games, continuing the trend this past weekend in games against Colby and Bowdoin. While Tufts did not complete the comeback Friday night against the White Mules (a last-second three-point attempt by senior co-captain Bobby Mpuku rolled in, around, and then out of the basket) the Jumbos overcame a second-half double-digit deficit Saturday against the Polar Bears to emerge victorious.
Saturday, the Jumbos learned the importance of practicing the fundamentals, capitalizing on a strong defensive effort down the stretch and getting 25 points off of free throws in the second half en route to an 87-85 squeaker over the Polar Bears.
Bowdoin started off the game in the driver's seat jumping out to an early six-point lead, and pushing the edge as high as eight in the first half. Tufts battled back, keeping the game close for most of the period. The Polar Bears put together a late run, however, and led 36-31 heading into the locker room.
Bowdoin built up its lead to as high as ten after a bucket by sophomore guard Braden Clement made it 62-52 with 9:20 to go in the second half. The Jumbos then caught fire, however, exploding into a 12-2 run that included a trio of three pointers and a traditional three-point play to tie the score at 64 less than two minutes later.
Junior Bobby MacMannis was crucial during Tufts' second-half push, knocking down all of his season-high 12 points in the period on 3-4 shooting, including 2-2 from downtown and 4-6 from the free throw line.
Tufts would not score a point from the floor in the final 6:15, though, and shot under 40 percent in the second half. But the two teams would stay close down the stretch, setting up a dramatic finish. The Jumbos relied on free-throw shooting to carry them through, going to the line 33 times in the final period and converting on 25 of their attempts (75.8 percent).
Freshman guard Phil Barlow led the way, going 9-9 from the line on the day, as the team scored its final 16 points from the stripe. Barlow returned from a second-half injury to score a career-high 26 points, including 17 in the second half.
The Polar Bears, on the other hand, shot a blistering 57.7 percent from the floor in the final period, including 4-9 from three-point range. The two teams combined for 105 points in the second half, compared to just 67 in the first.
Despite Bowdoin's high shooting percentage, it was the Tufts defense that kept the team in the game. Tufts forced 19 turnovers on the afternoon, and added another 14 steals, including six from Barlow. The strong defensive effort helped the Jumbos during the lean offensive times, holding the visitors to scoreless stretches that kept the door open for a comeback.
The teams remained neck-and-neck late into the game, with the Polar Bears evening the score at 80 with just over two minutes remaining. Tufts rattled off four free throws in six attempts to establish a two-possession lead with 42 seconds on the clock. Bowdoin hit a jumper with 34 seconds on the clock to cut the margin to two, but strong defensive stands and more free throws allowed Tufts to extend its lead to five. Bowdoin went on to score the last three points of the game, giving the Jumbos a scare, but it wasn't enough.
Tufts came close to a comeback Friday, also, but fell just short, as the Jumbos missed three game-tying attempts in the final minute of play.
The game stayed close for the first 35 minutes, with neither team taking more than a six-point advantage. With 6:14 to play, Barlow converted a shot from downtown to cut the White Mule lead to two, at 55-53. Colby went on a hot streak, however, hitting three consecutive three pointers within a minute. Only a Brian Shapiro lay-up broke up the run for Tufts, as the Mules stretched their lead to nine.
The sequence could have been the final nail in the coffin for the Jumbos, but the team responded as it has time and time again this season, putting together a 7-2 run to keep the game from getting out of reach. Colby hit two free throws to push the lead back to six, but Barlow hit another three to cut the margin down to one possession, at 68-65, with 32 seconds remaining.
The Tufts defense once again stepped up, forcing a turnover and giving the Jumbos a chance to tie the game. The team's full-court press, which had given the White Mules trouble all day, forced Colby to try to hurry the ball up the floor, and Mpuku took advantage of the opportunity, drawing a charging foul that give Tufts the ball back with 22 seconds left.
Sophomore Brian Shapiro missed a three pointer, and Tufts was forced to foul. But Colby missed the front end of the one-and-one, setting up Mpuku's two last-second attempts.
The weekend split pushes Tufts' record to 15-5 (3-2 in NESCAC play) with four games remaining in the regular season.
