Overcoming an inconsistent start, the men's basketball team composed itself and cruised through the second half to a comfortable 72-58 win over the Newbury Nighthawks.
The win brought the Jumbos' current winning streak to seven games, improving their record to 18-4. The loss dropped the Nighthawks to 7-13 on the season.
To call the victory a team effort would be an understatement, as five players scored in double-digits. Junior tri-captain David Shepard led the charge with 15 points, followed by fellow senior tri-captain Dan Martin, who amassed 12 points and nabbed six rebounds.
"Without a doubt a very good team effort," coach Bob Sheldon said about the game. "We were coming off a really emotional win against Bates and even though Newbury doesn't have a great record this year, they had a crazy atmosphere in the gym. Anytime you go on the road and get 72 points, you have to be pleased with the result."
The Jumbos stumbled through the first half, missing shots and allowing the Nighthawks to stay in the game, but the team came roaring out of the gates after intermission, beginning the half with a dominant 14-2 run. Despite a minor glitch in the middle of the half, the Jumbos cleaned-up some sloppy offense and finished off the game strong.
"We were missing shots we normally make," Sheldon said. "We just tightened up in the second half and started to force them to take shots they couldn't make."
Senior-tri captain Brian Fitzgerald shared Sheldon's views, highlighting the lack of focus on the present situation as a factor in the shaky start to the game.
"I think just coming off the big win at Bates and looking forward to this weekend's games [against Trinity and Amherst] made us look over Newbury a bit," Fitzgerald said. "We realized how hard letting this game slip away would be so we tightened up in the second half and got the win."
Fitzgerald also had praise for his teammates, in particular junior Brian Kumf, who had 11 points and a team-leading nine rebounds.
"Kumf played great," Fitzgerald said. "He was everywhere; he had tons of boards and was really great on the defensive end."
While the win proved the Jumbos' persistence, the team will hope to be in more consistent form as it enters the most important weekend of the season. Tufts visits Trinity on Friday evening followed by a showdown at NESCAC-leading Amherst on Saturday afternoon.
According to the Feb. 8 NCAA Div. III poll, Amherst is the No. 1 team in the Northeast. Tufts is No. 3, Bates is No. 5, and Trinity is No. 7.
Within the NESCAC, the Jumbos are currently in fourth, but wins over Trinity and Amherst could potentially yield a first-place finish and a home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
"I'm really excited," said Fitzgerald. "It would really make a statement and show we are on the same level as [Trinity and Amherst]. The crowd also would be great and would really help us throughout the tournament."
With the excitement brewing around the Jumbos' recent hot streak, Sheldon plans for more of the same.
"We won't change anything that we usually do," the coach said. "We will bring the up-tempo game we usually do and we will tighten up on defense. We all know the gravity of the situation and we are definitely ready for the weekend."
