Jake Weitzen, Men's Basketball
When the Jumbos headed into the locker room at halftime trailing 38-35 in its home opener, it was senior tri-captain Jake Weitzen who brought them back. While the men's basketball team fell just short of an upset win over Brandeis, missing the chance at a headline-making win early in the 2007-2008 season, it took the 12th-ranked Judges down to the wire, eventually falling 89-87.
Weitzen scored 20 second-half points to propel the Jumbos back into the game. A three-pointer from junior forward Jon Pierce off an assist by Weitzen started the surge, and seconds later, Pierce returned the favor, feeding Weitzen for a layup of his own that tied the game at 40. Weitzen had a couple clutch baskets and a key assist down the stretch to keep Tufts alive, including a layup that gave his team the an 80-74 lead with 3:22 left in the game. He assisted another Pierce three in the game's final minute to bring the Jumbos within one, but he ultimately couldn't give the Jumbos the victory, as an off-balance heave in the waning seconds fell just short.
Weitzen finished the game 9-for-9 from the free-throw line, turning in a career-high 28 points. Through three games this season, Weitzen 15.0 points per game, second on the team and trailing only Pierce, who moved into the NESCAC's top spot in scoring average with the 25 he dropped against the Judges.
Colleen Hart, Women's Basketball
For all the attention given to the women's basketball team's frontcourt duo of Khalilah Ummah and Katie Tausanovitch, freshman point guard Colleen Hart is proving that Tufts is no slouch on the perimeter, either.
The rookie led the way in the team's toughest test of the young season, posting game-high total in points and assists to pace the Jumbos to a 57-43 road win over regional power Brandeis yesterday afternoon.
Playing all 40 minutes against the Judges, Hart notched a career-high 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, including 2-of-5 from three-point range. After knocking down all four of her free throw attempts yesterday, Hart is now a perfect 20-for-20 from the charity stripe in 2007.
The Needham, Mass. native has emerged as a key perimeter scoring threat for the Jumbos this season, notching double digits in points in three of the squad's first four games. Her 11.3 points per game are second on the team, and her five threes are tops on the Jumbos.
Hart is the first freshman guard to start for Tufts since 2002, when Jess Powers (LA '06) started all 24 games for the Jumbos. Powers went on to become a staple in Tufts' backcourt for four years and wound up as the third-leading scorer in program history with 1,174 points.
Hart's performance helped improve Tufts' record to 4-0 heading into tomorrow's home contest against Babson. The start is the Jumbos' best since the team began the 2004-05 campaign 7-0.
