Jumbos fall to Corsairs on the road

    The men's basketball team lost its second straight game last night, falling to nationally ranked No. 17 UMass Dartmouth 91-76 on the road. The Corsairs are the only ranked team that the Jumbos have faced this year. Tufts droped to 9-12 while UMass improved to 18-2.
    Both teams shot similar percentages — 49.2 percent for Tufts and 51.5 percent for UMD — but the Jumbos were done in by 29 turnovers, 20 via Corsair steals.
    The trouble began at the beginning of the game, as UMD recorded 15 steals in the first half and Tufts committed 20 total turnovers en route to a 46-37 halftime deficit. The Jumbos never got any closer than that, as the Corsairs scored the first seven points after the break and never looked back.
     Junior co-captain Jon Pierce led the Jumbos with 20 points and 11 rebounds while senior co-captain Aaron Gallant and junior Tom Selby contributed 15 and 13 points, respectively.
    Four Corsairs scored in double figures, including a game-high 21 from junior Matt Walker and 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench for junior Tyler Turturo.
    The Jumbos now look to important conference games against Trinity and No. 20 Amherst on Friday and Saturday. Tufts' playoff chances depend on the results of this weekend.