The men's basketball, women's basketball and hockey teams were all in action over winter break, taking on stiff competition from across Div. III. Here's a look at how they fared:
Men's basketball stumbles first, but bounces back to take three games
After ending the first semester on a high note, punishing Plymouth St. 86-64 on the Panthers' home court, the Jumbos headed into their three-and-a-half-week hiatus riding a five-game winning streak and clicking both offensively and defensively.
Yet the return to action on Jan. 5 put an end to both the Jumbos' winning ways, as the team dropped two games during the Wilkes-Barre Challenge. But Tufts bounced back to salvage the final two games over break, improving to 8-4 on the season.
With four days to compose themselves after dropping back-to-back games for the first time this season, the Jumbos returned to their winning ways, picking up road wins against UMass Boston and Wheaton. Junior forward Jon Pierce averaged 30.5 points in the two games en route to earning co-NESCAC Player of the Week honors, his second such honor of the season. The offense as a whole averaged 90.5 points per game, a stark contrast to the 69 it posted during the Wilkes Challenge.
Facing Wheaton on Jan. 12, the Jumbos put together perhaps their most impressive offensive performance of the season, shooting an incredible 68 percent from the floor in the first half. The 25-point lead the Jumbos held with 15 minutes to play dwindled to a 14-point victory 89-75, but the Jumbos never let Wheaton within 12 in the impressive victory.
Tufts had a far easier time handling 1-9 UMass Boston two days earlier, as the Jumbos were able to empty their bench in a 92-76 victory.
The victories helped the Jumbos rebound from a two-game losing streak they suffered during the Jan. 5-6 Wilkes Challenge. Tufts fell 84-73 and 76-65 to Wilkes University and King's College, respectively. In each contest, Tufts had opportunities late, using late-game runs to cut the Wilkes lead to four and the King's lead to three with under three minutes to play. Yet in each game, their opponents used both sloppy Jumbo possessions and timely free throws to finish with 11-point victories.
Although Tufts lost both of its games, senior tri-captain Jake Weitzen was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 16.5 points and leading the team with 18 against Wilkes.
Pierce led the team in scoring and rebounding over the four-game stretch, averaging 24.3 points and 9.5 rebounds. Senior guard Jeremy Black distributed the ball well, piling up 28 assists, including 10 against UMass Boston. Weitzen's averages of 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds were a huge asset to the Jumbos, especially in the absence of senior tri-captain Ryan O'Keefe. O'Keefe missed all four games with a high ankle sprain but is working hard to return soon.
Tufts is in the middle of a five-game road trip that concludes this weekend with showdowns against NESCAC foes Amherst and Trinity. The Jumbos do not return to Cousens Gym until January 26, when they will play host to the Bates Bobcats.
-by Aaron Frankel
Hockey drops three out of four against tough national competition
The hockey team got its first win of the new year with a 6-3 win on Saturday against conference opponent Saint Michael's. The Jumbos rebounded from three straight losses after their month-long layoff with a season-high six goals against the Purple Knights and a win that pushed their NESCAC/ECAC record to 3-3-1.
Two scoring flurries against the Purple Knights were all it took to end Tufts' first losing streak of the season. Senior tri-captain Ross Gimbel scored two goals inside of 12 seconds to give the Jumbos a 2-0 first-period lead. Saint Michael's tied the score at two early in the third, but the Jumbos responded with a four-goal outburst over a six-minute span, with senior tri-captain Joe Cappellano netting the eventual game-winner.
"We had good production from all three lines," said senior tri-captain Greg O'Connell, who assisted on two goals. "The D played well and [senior goalie James Kalec] was good as always. We got our shot totals up. The shot totals were low in the past three games. We weren't putting enough pressure on, so we focused on that, and got 42 shots on net."
Kalec recorded 26 saves, moving him closer to the 2,000-save mark for his career. Kalec started three of the four games since resuming play, averaging just over 30 saves per game.
The Jumbos began their five-game homestand on Friday with a 7-1 loss to ECAC rival Norwich, ranked No. 11 nationally by USCHO.com. Sophomore Cory Korchin scored the lone goal for Tufts, his third of the season. Senior goalie Issa Azat kept the game close in the early going, making 17 saves in the first period before finishing with 41 on the day.
The Jumbos also participated in the Cardinal Classic tournament over Jan. 4-5 in Plattsburgh, N.Y., where they fell in their first game to host Plattsburgh St., the No. 3 team in the nation. In front of over 1,000 fans on Friday night, the Jumbos jumped out to an early lead when freshman Dylan Cooper scored just 41 seconds into the game.
The Cardinals answered just 18 seconds later, and then at the 2:29 mark, took the lead for good en route to a 9-2 victory. Cooper scored both goals for the Jumbos, and tallied three goals and two assists in the four games since the team's holiday break.
In the consolation game on Saturday, the Jumbos were blanked by Trinity, 6-0. The game will not count in the NESCAC standings because it took place in tournament play.
Prior to its four post-New Year's games, the Jumbos played three games in a winter tour through France and Switzerland.
"We got back and played Plattsburgh, Norwich, and Trinity, who all have high talent," O'Connell said. "It was tough competition, and play was more physical and quicker with a smaller ice surface than we had been playing with. Guys were tired from travel, especially against Norwich, but we were able to put out a good effort."
-by Jeremy Greenhouse
