Jumbos lose nail-biter to Beavers

After a last second prayer by senior co-captain Jim Wilson sailed wide of the basket, a hard fought battle by the men's basketball team against Babson came to a disappointing conclusion, as the Jumbos fell to 1-3 on the season.

Despite having the lead for a good portion of the game, the men's basketball team came out on the losing end of a 79-76 decision to the Beavers last night at Cousens Gym. After winning its opening game last week the team lost its next two at the Radisson Invitational Tournament at Colorado College, before heading into last night's game.

Both teams came out aggressively at the start of the game. The Beavers won the tip and immediately capitalized on their first opportunity on a jump shot by junior shooting guard Jeff Hines. Babson went on to make its first four shots in the game, and while the Jumbos seemed to pass the ball well, their shots were not falling.

The Jumbos quickly got back into the game, however, behind the solid play of seniors Mike McGlynn and co-captain Brian Shapiro. After finding themselves down 13-6, the Jumbos started to make their shots, going on an 11-2 run over the next four minutes. Tufts also tightened up its defense, as Babson failed to continue its hot shooting, largely due to the inside presence of Tufts' 6'7" sophomore center Craig Coupe.

The Jumbos kept the pressure on as the half continued. With five minutes to go, they built up a ten-point lead, again led by McGlynn. Over the next two minutes however, the Beavers countered with a 9-0 run, capped by a 15 foot jumper by senior captain Chris Michalowski, to cut Tufts' lead to just one point. Tufts quickly answered back with an 8-2 run of its own at the end of the half, capped by a McGlynn layup at the buzzer on a laser pass from Wilson.

Coach Bob Sheldon pumped his fist as he confidently trotted off the court, pleased with his team's 44-38 halftime lead. McGlynn led the Tufts attack with ten points at the break.

"We definitely came out ready and excited to play tonight, especially after losing our last two games," Shapiro said.

Both teams came out shooting to start the second. Babson clawed back early in the half to within one of the Jumbos with a jumper by sophomore leading scorer Jeff Nicholson. Babson then stole the ball from a Jumbo guard, and raced down the court for a fast break. Wilson sped back with two Babson players, held his ground in the paint, and drew a key offensive foul, nullifying the Beavers bucket and maintaining the Jumbos' one point lead. Wilson went on a tear over the next three minutes, scoring seven of Tufts next nine points, and after a key three point play by McGlynn with 13:28 remaining, Tufts' lead reached a game-high ten points, 59-49.

The Beavers responded immediately, going on a 19-4 run and turned a ten point deficit into a five point lead, 68-63, with just over seven minutes to play. The Jumbos stirred up a 5-0 run of their own over the next three minutes, tying the game at 68 a piece with 4:19 to play.

From there on, neither team could build up more than a two point lead until the final seconds. Coupe had two emphatic rejections over the next three minutes to keep the Jumbos within two points. Wilson and McGlynn carried the offense matching each and every Babson basket up until the final buzzer. The game was tied at 74 with one minute left, when Hines sank a layup, giving the Beavers a two-point lead. On the next possession, Wilson received a quick pass underneath the hoop and banked the ball in to tie the score at 76-76 with just 30 seconds to play.

After a timeout, Babson senior co-captain Joe Colelli held the ball at the top of the key as the clock wound down. With eight seconds left, he drove to his right and sank a fade away jumper from 14 feet, giving Babson a two point lead with four seconds to play.

The Jumbos then called timeout, and Coach Bob Sheldon diagrammed a play for his team.

"We had designed three plays in practice for these situations," Sheldon said. "We wanted to get the ball to either Brian [Shapiro] or Mike [McGlynn] and let them go one-on-one. Four seconds is a lot of time."

The Jumbos threw the inbound pass the length of the court to Shapiro, who leaped up just past the half court line. Shapiro never fully gained control of the ball, and it was then stolen by Michalowski, who was immediately fouled by Coupe. He sank the first free throw to give Babson a 79-76 lead, and after missing the second, the Jumbos rebounded the ball with one second to play and quickly called a timeout. Shapiro took the inbound pass and threw it to Wilson, who sent up a prayer from the half court line that sailed left of the rim as the final buzzer sounded.

"We definitely played well tonight. Babson is one of the top teams in New England, and we were tied with them with ten seconds to play," Sheldon said. "We are definitely growing as a team, and despite our numerous injuries, we are only getting better and better."

"We played well tonight," sophomore Reggie Stovell said. "But I think we let up in the second half. We could have played stronger defense and held on to the ball better."

Wilson led the Jumbos with 20 points on 9 of 14 shooting from the field in 35 minutes of play. Coupe once again anchored the defense with 11 rebounds and five blocks, in addition to 12 points. The Jumbos shot 49 percent from the field (31/63) and 52 percent from the line (11-21), while the Beavers shot 58 percent (28/48) and 75 percent (15-20), respectively. .

"We definitely played tough tonight," Shapiro said. "But it was the little things that really hurt us in the end, especially missed free throws."