The men's basketball team's five-game winning streak came to a grinding halt on Tuesday night, as the Jumbos were dealt a lopsided 103-77 loss at the hands of the still-undefeated Plymouth State Panthers.
Offense was the name of this game and Plymouth State had a lot of it. The Panthers lit up the scoreboard in both halves, shooting 65 percent from the field in the first half, and 70 percent in the second. The Jumbos couldn't create a run strong enough to go ahead, and the Panthers were able to maintain a double-digit lead through much of the first half and the entire second period.
The Jumbos' offense was unable to make an impact, shooting a dismal 38 and 39 percent from the field in the first and second halves. The overall shooting performance was apparent in the box score, as senior tri-captain Dan Martin and junior forward Brian Kumf were the only Jumbo players to reach double digits with 25 and 11 points, respectively.
Coach Bob Sheldon was disappointed with the loss, but was also able to take away a few positive aspects from the game.
"[Plymouth State] was a very good team that just had a really hot night," Sheldon said. "Our offense wasn't too bad; it was more that our defense just couldn't stop them."
Sheldon also described the game as a learning experience.
"We just have to learn from this loss and use it to prevent something like this from happening again," Sheldon said. "We also have a few positives to take from the game, like the return of Dan Martin and our impressive rebounding performance."
Rebounding was just about the only thing the Jumbos did better than their opponents, as the Jumbos out-rebounded the Panthers 39-23. But rebounds don't always translate to points, and the Jumbos now have to look ahead towards today's game against Keene State.
The Owls have begun the season in sizzling form and will be facing Tufts with an untarnished 6-0 record. Sheldon is confident about Tufts' chances, but is not taking the high-powered team for granted.
"[Keene State] likes to run and press a lot," Sheldon said. "So that is something that we're going to have work on in practice. They are very athletic and are playing extremely well lately."
After having their longest winning streak in four years suddenly snapped, the Jumbos will have to regain their composure and play their own physical and athletic game in order to come out with a victory.
"We need to play our own game," Sheldon said. "We didn't do that against Plymouth State and if we do that and get the win, it will be a big one."
Only two games remain before the three-week winter break, and only four before the NESCAC season begins. The team jumps right into its conference schedule, playing four league teams in five games, and will want to enter that series with every possible advantage. Two wins this week and a 7-2 record will go a long way towards accomplishing that goal.
