After opening the season with a loss, the Jumbos won their second straight game with a 72-71 come-from-behind road upset of Springfield College on Tuesday.
The team trailed the whole game, by as many as 14 points, but sophomore guard Dave Shepherd sank two clutch free throws with five seconds remaining to give the Jumbos their first lead of the game and the win. The Jumbos survived a last-second shot by the Pride and notched a big road victory over a team that had earned the second most honorable mention votes for the top 25 in the country.
After two Springfield free throw misses at the other end with 20 seconds remaining, Shepherd pulled down the defensive rebound and was fouled on a three-point attempt by Springfield's Zach Mitzan. After missing the first free throw, Shepherd settled in to make the two deciding baskets.
The Jumbos were led by senior center Dan Martin. With a team-high 23 points, Martin provided strong play throughout the game. Sophomore Jake Weitzen, who came off the bench to score 19 points, also was a key contributor for the Jumbos. Shepherd, who chipped in seven points of his own, emerged as the hero.
Despite trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half, the Jumbos continued to battle back, led by the inside presence of Martin, who pulled down six of his nine rebounds in the second frame.
"[Martin] was about as unstoppable as Brad Pitt in 'Troy,'" Weitzen joked.
Martin, Shepherd and sophomore guard Jeremy Black were the workhorses of the lineup, each racking up at least 30 minutes on the floor. Two forwards, junior Brian Kumf and senior co-captain Brian Fitzgerald, each added seven points, while sharing playing time with Weitzen and sophomore Ryan O'Keefe.
The second-half comeback was led not only by Martin's presence in the paint, but by a resurgence from the offense, which shot just 38 percent from the floor in the first half. Weitzen scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half, while Shepherd contributed all of his seven after halftime. The revived Jumbo offense made 56 percent of its second-half field goals.
The defense was stellar down the stretch, pulling down 24 rebounds while holding the Pride to just eight boards on the offensive end. In addition, the team had nine steals, including three from Shepherd, which set the pace for the team's aggressive style of play in the final minutes.
"Our defense is really what kept us motivated and gave us life," Weitzen said.
The team hopes that these past two wins - one over Springfield and a 20-point drubbing of Alfred on Nov. 19 - will give them the momentum to cruise through its upcoming homestand. Beginning with Tuesday night's matchup with Western New England, the Jumbos will host three local Massachusetts schools, also including UMass-Dartmouth on Thursday night and Brandeis on Saturday.
"The win against Springfield really gave us character as a team, showing our toughness and our will to win," Weitzen said.
Western New England has one of the stronger teams in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. The Golden Bears enter the game with a record of 1-1.
While all three games will be tough, the team can't help but look forward to Saturday afternoon's matchup with Brandeis. The Jumbos still have last January's 87-72 loss to the Judges fresh in their minds and are eager for redemption.
"Brandeis embarrassed us last year," Weitzen said. "We'll be gunning for them on Saturday."
So far, four Jumbos - Weitzen, Martin, Kumf and O'Keefe - are averaging double figures in scoring, but the team hopes that the offense will pick up even more this week. These next three games could provide a turning point for the team's season.
"Once we start scoring, we should be scary, and being at home should help," Weitzen said. "I'm confident we will come out 5-1 after Saturday."
